Best picture quality for a 40" TV (1080p)

[LowercaseTea]

Hi everyone,
I'm looking for a new TV, but I don't need any of the bells and whistles of a smart TV since I will be connecting it directly to my lap top. Also, since my lap top cannot run 4k and I'm primarily using it to watch movies off a blu ray connected drive, I don't believe I'll need the higher resolution until I decide to upgrade again or move out of my apartment.

Additionally it'd be ideal for the TV to have an audio out (3.5mm) output so I can connect my speakers to it.

Thanks!

 

[JohnBonhamsGhost]

most, if not all, HDTVs now have "smart" functionality. you may want to shop for an older model of a good brand like LG, Sony, Samsung, etc before smart features were really implemented that should be much cheaper. Amazon, Ebay and other online retailers usually still have lots of these for sale.
or you could shop for a new cheaper generic tv that come very barebones.

a "40" 1080p" search in Amazon should return a lot of options. user reviews/rating will help distinguish what's worth buying and has the best picture quality.

 

[americanaudiophile]

The best picture quality today is OLED TVs. OLED is actually completely different from "LED" TVs which are actually LCD panels lit with LEDs. OLED is organic LEDs that directly produce the picture (like a mini Jumbotron TV in a stadium). They have the best black levels. Since you don't need 4k one of the more affordable 2k sets would work for you.
Analog audio output is rare but you can use a DAC to convert the optical audio or use the headphone output.