Help with replacing old LED TV

[charlieoscar]

I need to replace my old (about 10 years) LED TV because of problems with audio, i.e., I turn it on and there is none or I get a steady high-pitched tone. I figure I may as well get a 4K HD set but I don't know much about teh new technology so I've been exploring rtings.com and talking with people at BestBuy.

I figure about $750 tops for something in the 40" to 50" diagonal size and I want something that works well in a lighted room and also that does not have a lot of distortion when viewad at ~30° angle. Baseball, hockey, HD TV, lots of DVD movies (not Blu-Ray). My older OPPO DVD player does handle HDMI but I suppose that is the old version and I don't know if that will cause a dimunition in quality of playback. It does upscale to 1080p.

My provider is XFINITY and the internet is about 240 Mbps/12.3 Mbps according to Ookla.

What other questions do I need to ask?

 

[Scott Cooper's Grand Slam]

It's hard to go wrong with The Wirecutter for consumer tech (and The Sweethome for consumer homegoods). I've linked to their article on The Best TV, but they've got articles for lots of stuff.

 

[SumnerH]

Also if it's just the sound, consider a pair of speakers (which you probably want anyway).

 

[charlieoscar]

There has to be some signal driving the speakers, which is what I'm having trouble getting on a regular basis. Sometimes I get no sound at all; sometimes I just get a high-pitched steady tone; and sometimes after turning the tv on and of several times I get normal volume. And while it was just an occasional irritation, it now is happening every time I turn the set on.

 

[charlieoscar]

It's hard to go wrong with The Wirecutter...

Thanks, I'll take a look. I didn't run across them when I was browsing the web for help. http://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews does a pretty good job of looking at things but they end up three more similar sets in a review and tell you that one (or more) of them is better than the one you just were checking out. When you look at the new one, you run into the same thing. I started looking at a set that cost around $459 and the next thing I know I was looking at one that was about $1200.

I think the biggest problem I have is when I go to a store, all the sets are showing recorded UHD when what I'd really like to see is what plain old Comcast HD tv looks like on them.

 

[JakeRae]

I've been very happy with my TCL P607, which is currently The Wirecutter's choice as best TV because of its value for money and overall quality. Now, if you are considering dropping $2.5K on an OLED, I don't think this TV is going to live up to that. But, if you are looking for a high quality TV that doesn't break the bank, it's a great choice.

That said, OP noted that he was looking for something with wide viewing angles. As a general rule, that's something you need to spend significantly more for. With my setup, it is completely immaterial. I'd also note that even from a very sharp angle, while image quality definitely degrades, it is not bad. The biggest complaint I'd have is that the TV is a little too reflective in bright light conditions. Once again, my basic understanding is that a good matte coating that limits reflectiveness is a high end feature that you really need to shell out for.

As for 4K v. 1080p, I notice very little difference in quality between the two, and both look great.