Our lovely Sony LCD (see the archived web pages for more information about it under Sustainable Living) started having trouble several years ago with not recognizing the devices that were connected via HDMI cables. We tried replacing cables several times, updating the BIOS, etc. without success. Eventually the problem happened SO often that the hubby once again searched for updates to the BIOS etc. and found that Sony had "discovered" there were "potentially" problems with the HDMI card(s) in our model and this was not covered by the warranty. Oh Joy. The cost of replacing the HDMI card(s) was as much as replacing the television... and now you know why we opted for a new television.

Here's what we ended up getting: LG - 43" Class - LED - 6 Series 4K- 2160p - Smart - 4K UHD TV with HDR

The thing about buying our replacement television was that we DON'T WANT certain things that other people seem to NEED.

For example, we don't want our television listening for us to tell it anything. We also don't want our appliances, locks, HVAC, etc. always connected to the internet*. If you had seen the episode of "Outer Limits" (back in the late 70s/early 80s) that I saw about a house that was completely computerized and (therefore) vulnerable to hacking by someone who wants to do you harm, you might think twice about it also. It is amazing how much that used to be science fictional has become science factual.

So, while this IS a "Smart" television, we have disabled that feature (thank goodness we could DO that).

And then there's the cost ($$) of "being connected at all times". Out here in the rural area of Missouri, it is expensive for us to pay for television. First of all, there is no access to cable; secondly, satellite is costly; and finally, streaming is not practical because our internet connection is via a "hot spot" cell phone device and we have to PAY for every byte of data - nothing "unlimited" out here). Therefore, we use a roof-mounted antenna to receive broadcast signals through the air. (Which is just as well since I tend to watch the television TOO MUCH anyway.)

What we DO need is connections for the broadcast antenna, Home Theatre (sound and DVD), DVR recorder/player, Blu-Ray player and HDMI cable to connect to the computer (*for when we want to watch something that is either on that computer or for which we are willing to pay the costs of streaming).

Yes, I do feed my addiction with DVDs and Blu-Ray... I admit it freely. Thank goodness I have to get up and get the disc out of the container and put it in the player before I watch it. I might never leave my recliner otherwise (humor intended)! This means there is quite a bit of wall space devoted to my collection of movies and tv shows.

Then there is the energy efficiency that is paramount to my decision making. Sadly, Energy Star® certification isn't being done as much as it used to, so you have to really dig into specifications to compare that. The hubby was able to determine that this television uses less energy than our Sony LCD (which was the most energy efficient television we could find at the time). I suppose that with the new generation of LED televisions using so much less energy, it is considered unnecessary to compare... but I STILL want the least energy use possible even among the LEDs. (End of rant, LOL.)

The final thing about the replacement was that it had to fit the space were the previous television was. And finding a medium size television was rather difficult. The bright spot was that the LG didn't need as much "frame" around the screen, so we ended up with the same outside dimensions while getting a bigger screen! Nice.