The TV-DVD combo players are usually pretty small. The 4K DVD players will probably come down in price quite a bit in the near future. I’d buy a good tv and look for a deal on a separate blueray player. You can always upgrade your player later for not too much money.
Thanks to everyone for their thoughtful replies! Still not decided, but I feel well-armed to get a TV and a player that will do all the simple things I want and a lot more for a lot less than I was fearing it would be. I know what to look for. I’ll report back when I have my units and let you know how it turned out.
I’ll keep looking in in the meantime if anyone else has anything to add. Thanks again!