Data breaches and leaks are just one way your account info ends up in the hands of hackers. Sometimes they steal them the good old-fashioned way by using malware. Such infostealing software is behind a recent report about a massive data collection being sold on Telegram, with 23 billion entries containing 493 million unique pairs of email addresses and website domains. As summarized by Bleeping Computer, 284 million unique email addresses are affected overall. (If you’re confused, a single email address can have associations with multiple websites—so there can be a larger number of compromised accounts than email addresses.) Additionally, 244 unique passwords were also stolen. The discovery comes courtesy of security consultant Troy Hunt, acting on a tip from a government contact. Infostealing malware can be more personally dangerous than the more typical breaches and leaks seen repeatedly in the news. A data breach for a specific website only impacts your other accounts if you use weak passwords (especially if they’re reused passwords). In contrast, infostealers can steal data for multiple accounts from a single person—a potentially huge headache to clean up, depending on how many (and which) credentials become compromised. Throwaway and sensitive accounts alike can be directly affected. To see if you were caught in this particular data dump, head to Troy Hunt’s website Have I Been Pwned, which has been updated with this info. It’s a fantastic service that allows individuals to check if their email addresses have been caught up in notable major data breaches or leaks. (However, be aware not every leak or breach makes it to the database, for various reasons.) You’ll need to follow these steps, which apply to both new and existing users of the site: Step 1 On PC, click on Notify Me in the top menu. On mobile, tap the hamburger icon to find this option. PCWorld Step 2 In the popup window, enter your email address. Also complete the captcha check. PCWorld Step 3 A verification email should arrive in your inbox. If you’re a new subscriber, clicking the link will verify your address for automatic notifications of future breaches (if you’re caught up in them), and also show you a personalized set of results. If you’re already subscribed to HIBP, hit that link to see your results. PCWorld Step 4 Scroll to the bottom. Any data caught by an infostealer will be listed under a “Stealer Logs” section. If Have I Been Pwned has records of your login credentials, as stolen by infostealing malware, this is how it will be displayed.Troy Hunt / Have I Been Pwned For greater security, you can only see information related to stealer logs when using this method. Performing a usual search on the website will not reveal such details. If you’re also concerned that any of your passwords might be compromised, you can check them against a different database on the Have I Been Pwned website—Pwned Passwords. For safety, Hunt keeps email addresses and password data separate. You can only check passwords individually on the site. (For bulk checking, you must use 1Password. It’s the only password manager that HIBP has partnered with.) Your accounts are in these stealer logs. Now what? Before you panic—yes, your PC could have malware on it. But a couple of other possibilities exist for being in the database too. Either way, you should make sure your PC is clean of shady software including pirated apps. https://x.com/troyhunt/status/1820591861771485597X / PCWorld (Our lists of the best free software and the best 15 open-source apps are better resources for apps that won’t infect your PC. We even have a set of suggestions for Photoshop alternatives. Just sayin’.) What to do for your PC Uninstall any dubious apps you voluntarily installed. Double check your antivirus software is updated and set it to run regular scans. (Some malware will attempt to disable antivirus software.) Manually initiate a full, deep antivirus scan. What to do for your compromised accounts Using the Have I Been Pwned stealer logs info as a guide, log into each compromised website and update your password. Choose a strong, random, and unique password. (Easily done with a password manager.) If you share your passwords with other people, be sure their PCs are clean of malware before sharing the login info again. As for the other reasons your data might be in these stealer logs, your password may have been used by someone on a malware-infected PC. (For example, a loved one who has logged into a shared Netflix account.) Our Favorite Antivirus Suite Norton 360 Deluxe Read our review Alternatively, Hunt does list one caveat about this data, which he covers explicitly in a second blog post—some website domain and email pairs contained invalid domains while other entries had just an email and password pair with no associated domain. Accordingly, the stealer logs information has been further cleaned up and updated in its presentation. If you found yourself confused last week by entries that listed just one domain that matched the email address in question (e.g., Gmail), those data points have been removed from the stealer logs, but not the report about the general breach. The result of these two latter scenarios is that you may be affected (and not know how), but you may also not be affected, either. In any case, good security practices can help keep your account info out of the hands of hackers. For a quick overview, you can scan these 10 security principles you should be familiar with, and then for some practical application, I’ve laid out the vital services you need to avoid getting hacked. Read...

The Opposition leader has launched a scathing attack on the prime minister’s handling of Andrew Bayly’s resignation as a minister. Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Solid price as configured Easy-to-see display Plenty of capable ports Cons Very low color gamut Basic looks and feel Performance and battery life could be better Our Verdict You can get much better laptops than the Acer Aspire 14 AI, but it brings a lot to the table at $699. Aside from its bland display, it doesn’t really fumble anywhere too badly. As a result, it proves a capable, utilitarian laptop that shouldn’t disappoint those who need a productivity machine. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today The Acer Aspire 14 AI is a budget-minded laptop aiming to bring reasonable performance and the latest Microsoft Copilot+ capabilities in a laptop that’s modest and affordable. To that end, Acer has built a fairly simple machine that has many of the qualities — for better or worse — I’ve become accustomed to from laptops bearing the Aspire badge.  You’ll get a modest machine in the Acer Aspire 14 AI. It’s not impressively thin or light nor is it leading the way in terms of performance or battery life. And while the display is perfectly useful, it falls well short of excellence. The result is a utilitarian machine that’s at least likable and well met by a $699 price tag. Acer Aspire 14 AI: Specs and features The review unit we received boasts an Intel Core Ultra 5 226V processor, 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of SSD storage. For more details on specifications and features, check out the bulleted list below. CPU: Intel Core Ultra 5 226V Memory: 16GB LPDDR5x Graphics/GPU: Intel Arc 130V Display: 14-inch 1920×1200 IPS Touchscreen Storage: 1TB PCIe Gen4 SSD Webcam: 1080p Connectivity: 2x Thunderbolt 4, 2x USB-A 3.2 Gen 1, 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x 3.5mm combo audio Networking: WiFi 6E, Bluetooth 5.3 Biometrics: Windows Hello facial recognition Battery capacity: 65 watt-hours Dimensions: 12.57 x 9.06 x 0.70 inches Weight: 3.07 pounds MSRP: $699 as-tested ($699 base) The Acer Aspire 14 AI is really just a simple, good machine for anyone who doesn’t want to fuss around looking for the absolute best (and dealing with the price that comes with it). Acer Aspire 14 AI: Design and build quality IDG / Mark Knapp Outside of some of its more premium products, Acer seems quite averse to rejiggering its designs. While the Acer Aspire 14 AI has changed slightly, opting for an all-gray color scheme, it still looks like many of the other Acer models I’ve come across in the last couple of years. It finds itself somewhere between the more polished designs of the Acer Swift Go series and the base-tier Aspire models.  You’ll still find somewhat thick bezels around the display and a plastic keyboard deck. The bottom of the laptop and the display lid are made of aluminum, though. This model is rather chunky, measuring 0.7-inches thick before factoring in the sizable rubber feet. It’s a bit of a surprise to see it so large when it packs a low-power processor. The thickness makes the laptop feel a little brick-like, but at least that comes with a sturdiness.  The underside of the laptop has a sizable grille, and a single fan pulls in fresh air to blow it out through a vent above the keyboard. Acer has gone with this vent positioning on many of its laptops, and it always leaves me concerned about debris or liquid entering it, as it opens upward. The positioning also ensures it exhausts heat right at the display, where it could cause damage over time. The Acer Aspire 14 AI fits in a modest 14-inch display, and above that is situated a webcam system paired with a Windows Hello-capable facial recognition scanner. Altogether, the look of the Acer Aspire 14 AI isn’t very special to behold. It looks uncommitted to any sort of sense of style, and some of it appears cobbled together, with odd seams, some jagged geometry and some curved. Acer Aspire 14 AI: Keyboard, trackpad IDG / Mark Knapp Acer hasn’t done anything I can detect to improve the keyboard on the Acer Aspire 14 AI compared to any of its other machines. The keys are still very flat and don’t have great stabilization, which can make for tricky typing as you adjust to the keyboard. Having tested loads of Acer laptops, I’ve managed to adapt somewhat to these designs and was able to reach an acceptable typing speed of 114 words per minute with 98 percent accuracy in Monkeytype, but the mushiness of the keys was a regular annoyance. The keyboard gets white backlighting, but because Acer has opted for a gray keyboard, it can reflect a lot of light, making it hard to see in bright conditions. When so many other Acer Aspire laptops have opted for black keycaps, this switch doesn’t make much sense, especially since it just harms visibility. Acer Aspire 14 AI: Display, audio IDG / Mark Knapp The Acer Aspire 14 AI doesn’t have a particularly special display, and is rather bad in some respects. The 1200p resolution is unobjectionable at this size, but plenty of competition is going sharper. The display also only offers a 60Hz refresh rate where you can find 90Hz and 120Hz on many other devices. The display has a responsive touchscreen, which can simplify some navigation and is a nice addition to get for the money. Where the display gets some credit is in its visibility. It reaches a modest brightness of 327.6 nits and has a strong anti-glare finish that dramatically cuts down on reflections. This makes it easy to see the screen in most conditions where glossy displays would be marred by reflections. Sadly, you’ll only be seeing a utilitarian display. The contrast is typical of an IPS panel, and the color gamut is about as low as you can get from a modern display, hitting just 64 percent of the sRGB color space.  The speakers on the Acer Aspire 14 AI are respectable. They offer bright and loud mids that provide plenty of volume for clear, easy-to-hear speech. The high-end is a bit harsh and resonant, which takes away from music. The bass is also limited, not digging in very deep to give music or voices their proper fullness. There’s some clear ducking as well, where too much volume at one frequency will pull down the volume elsewhere.  Acer Aspire 14 AI: Webcam, microphone, biometrics The webcam included on the Acer Aspire 14 AI is a modest, 1080p one. It’s not amazing, but it’s surprisingly decent at handling different lighting conditions. The picture looks a little soft, but even in less-than-ideal lighting, the camera manages to expose the image well. It can end up a little noisy in anything less than sunlight.  The mic array on the Acer Aspire 14 AI pairs well with the cameras. They do a good job picking up my voice without too much echo. As a result, my voice sounds loud and clear, rather than distant. The mic can also reduce some background noise. A sample recording had an air filter running in the background, but the mics completely negated its noise. Acer has integrated Windows Hello facial recognition with the webcam. This makes for snappy sign-ons, and while it’s surprising to not see fingerprint as a secondary option, I’ve often found facial recognition the faster of the two on Windows laptops anyway. Acer Aspire 14 AI: Connectivity IDG / Mark Knapp You get respectable connectivity from the Acer Aspire 14 AI. On the left edge of the laptop, you’ll find a pair of USB-C ports providing Thunderbolt 4 connectivity and charging capabilities. There’s also a full-size HDMI 2.1 port over there to provide high-resolution output. Each side of the laptop includes a high-speed USB-A port. This is all rounded out by a 3.5mm audio combo jack and a Kensington lock slot on the right side of the laptop.  The system includes Wi-Fi 6E connectivity for fast and reliable wireless connectivity. Bluetooth 5.3 is also supported and worked without a hitch while playing back audio to a pair of Bluetooth headphones.  Acer Aspire 14 AI: Performance The Acer Aspire 14 AI is a decent performer overall, and it gets bonus points for doing so at a competitive price. In PCMark 10, it does a decent job keeping up with the Core Ultra 7 155H-powered Dell Inspiron 14 Plus ($799 as tested) and the Acer Swift Go 14 ($1,000 as tested), though it’s still trailing those models. It’s also close, but again trailing the AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS in the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED ($849 as tested).  A good bit of its ability to keep pace with them at all is probably coming from the storage, which proved quite fast in testing. The drive exceeded my expectations for a 1TB SSD in such an economical package, reaching 6388MB/s sequential read speeds and 5571MB/s sequential write speeds in CrystalDiskMark 8.  While the Acer Aspire 14 AI overall performs well enough in day to day operation, in more demanding workloads, the CPU falls behind. Cinebench hits the CPU hard, and the Intel Core Ultra 5 226V used here doesn’t quite keep up. The single-core performance actually proved among the best of the bunch, showing some of the gains Intel has been able to make with its architecture, but this CPU doesn’t have the multi-core strength to compete, falling well behind both Intel Core Ultra 7 155H and AMD Ryzen 7 8840HS in these competing models. It does at least come out ahead of the Snapdragon X Plus X1P-42-100, but only when that chip is forced to emulate. In Cinebench R24, which has an ARM version, the Acer Aspire 14 AI even falls behind the Qualcomm-powered Dell Inspiron 14 for multi-core performance. The chip also gets a lower-tier of integrated graphics with Intel Arc Graphics 130V. It’s simply not as impressive as the Intel Arc Graphics paired with the Intel Core Ultra 7 155H. It also comes up short against the AMD Radeon 780M integrated graphics of the Zenbook 14 OLED.   One aspect of the Acer Aspire 14 AI’s performance is somewhat surprising: It doesn’t seem to struggle too much with heat compared to these rivals. It’s ability to keep up in longer benchmarks, like the single-core runs of Cinebench or our Handbrake benchmark (where it struck close to the Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7440 (2024) and beat the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED), suggest it’s able to keep temperatures and throttling in check. The fans are a little shrill when the laptop is running under a heavy load, but at least it’s quiet during general use.  Acer Aspire 14 AI: Battery life The Acer Aspire 14 AI’s battery life is competitive with these rivals, with it managing just over 17 hours in our 4K video playback test, which runs the laptop in airplane mode with the display set between 250 and 260 nits of brightness. This has it neck-in-neck with the two Dell Inspiron models and the Asus Zenbook 14 OLED, all of which it beats by a hair.  It’s satisfying battery life, but having seen more and more laptops break 20 hours (and one even break 24 hours), it’s not impressive. The battery life is also somewhat soured by the fact that the Acer Aspire 14 AI is only keeping up with these other models. Normally, when you trade off performance, you’d expect better efficiency and battery life in exchange. But, as can see, the Acer Aspire 14 AI’s performance sacrifices haven’t given it a meaningful advantage in battery life.  Acer Aspire 14 AI: Conclusion The Acer Aspire 14 AI banks a lot on a compelling price tag. Thankfully, at $699, it has one. It may not be setting any records, but this is clearly a machine that understands utility. The display may not be pretty, but it’s easy to use. The keyboard could use some improvements, but all of Acer’s could and there’s still worse out there. The speakers may not pump up the jams, but they present clear speech. And, even if performance isn’t top notch, the Acer Aspire 14 AI easily plugs along in day-to-day office tasks while slowly draining its battery. There may not be a lot to really love about the Acer Aspire 14 AI, but there’s also very little to get truly frustrated about. Nothing about it is outright terrible. Even the practically colorless display retakes some lost ground by offering a strong anti-glare finish and touchscreen capabilities. The Acer Aspire 14 AI is really just a simple, good machine for anyone who doesn’t want to fuss around looking for the absolute best (and dealing with the price that comes with it). Read...

The best webcam makes you look your best — for less. Most laptops ship with a 720p webcam, so a 1080p webcam or even a 4K webcam can make you stand out by comparison. I haven’t tested every one of these webcams, just most of them — and I describe how I test under my recommendations. You can also refer to my separate story on the best Windows Hello webcams for recommendations that aid videoconferencing and log you into your PC. Two recommendations from that list — a premium and budget option — appear on this list. Why you should trust me: PCWorld has been testing PC hardware since the 1980s, and I’ve been a technology journalist for 30 years, with extensive experience in reviewing PC hardware. When it comes to webcams, my recommendations are based on hands-on testing in real-world scenarios. I also tap the expertise and published reviews of my counterparts in Sweden and Germany to offer a comprehensive view of the current webcam landscape. The best webcams we’ve tested Anker PowerConf C200 – Best overall webcam Pros 2K (1440p) resolution with autofocus Adjustable field of view Solid low-light performance 18-month warranty Cons Lacks 60fps support Anker software is necessary for full control Color balance is middling Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $47.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $47.99 at Amazon Why I like the Anker PowerConf C200 The Anker PowerConf C200 offers an affordable yet substantial upgrade from the 720p cameras found in most laptop webcams to a 1440p webcam, yet does so at an affordable price. The webcam also works well in low light, a pitfall of many webcams. For all that, at just $60? That’s a solid value in my book, and makes this webcam our top recommendation. (Anker and Amazon characterize this as a “Mac” camera. It’s plug-and-play within Windows, however.) Additional features include an adjustable field of zoom that crops down to 65 degrees, meaning you can orient the camera on your face alone. The camera autofocuses, too. Naturally, there are noise-canceling mics and a privacy shutter that actually turns off the entire device. You will need Anker’s free Windows software, though, to enable some of these features. (That’s available on the Anker website.) We weren’t sold on the need for original software at first, but many other webcams now offer similar apps to enable full functionality. Who should buy the Anker PowerConf C200 What sold us on this webcam are the basics: It’s just a good webcam for an affordable price. As such, it will appeal to a broad segment of buyers: work-from-home employees, small businesses, and general consumers. If you’re tired of your laptop’s 720p webcam and want even more, start here with the Anker PowerConf C200. eMeet Piko+ – Best overall webcam runner-up Pros Unique dual-lens design Stellar low-light capabilities Excellent 4K images Lengthy USB-C cable Great value for the money Cons No laptop clip or mount Mics and audio filtering are okay Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $89.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $89.99 at Amazon Why I like the eMeet Piko+ I was amazed by this webcam’s ability to capture crisp, 4K visuals in low light, and that was really what sold me. The eMeet Piko+ offers tremendous value, at a list price that’s hundreds of dollars less than some of the 4K webcams we recommend. You’d have to put each webcam side by side to discern any differences. I’m not a huge fan of the included utility software’s UI, but its ability to unlock some of the camera’s features, such as cropping and zooming, are easy enough to find and offer powerful configurability options — and hey, it’s software. It can be tweaked. Who should buy the NexiGo HelloCam Someone without an inquisitive cat. Seriously. The only knock on this camera is that (for now) it lacks a laptop mount, meaning that you’ll have to screw the camera to its tripod. That might be okay for those with a tidy desk, but bumping the camera means that you’ll have to readjust it. Otherwise, I think that most people will really like this cute little webcam. Read our full EMeet Piko+ review Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K – Best budget webcam Pros 4K resolution for cheap! Backlight adjustment isn’t bad Cons Poor color balance Adjustable focus is of iffy value Cheats a bit in frame rate Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $49.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $49.99 at Amazon Why I like the Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K The question you should always ask of budget hardware is, what corners did they cut? Here, the answer is: not many. This is a 4K webcam at a cheaper price than many 1080p webcams, and that alone makes it noteworthy. Okay, it has manually adjustable focus, but that’s not a problem if you don’t move around a lot. Similarly, backlight adjustment is typically handled automatically, but this webcam’s manual adjustment is not a problem you work in a single location you can dial it in and forget it. There’s a flip-over privacy shutter, and a button to mute the mic. You’re going to find that it cheats in the frame rate a bit, and I wasn’t wild with how well it captured my image, from a color perspective. But for about $50, for a 4K camera? It’s worth investigating. Who should buy the Creative Live! Cam Sync 4K If 4K matters, and you don’t feel like spending a lot, this is the camera for you. To me, this feels like a good choice for a student, or someone who wants to look good in front of their friends and maybe while taking remote classes, but just doesn’t want to spend a ton of money. It’s also best for someone who will be streaming from an environment without a lot of (changing) natural light, but is still well-lit by a lamp or screen. Read our full Creative Live! Cam Sync 4k review eMeet SmartCam C960 2K – Best budget webcam runner-up Pros Very good value 1440p, 30Hz, autofocus Good noise-cancelling mics Cons Autofocus doesn’t work as well in dim lighting Somewhat precarious connection to a laptop Unnecessary utility software DIY privacy shutter Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $49.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $49.99 at Amazon Why I like the eMeet SmartCam C960 2K My previous pick, the Monoprice 2K USB Webcam, always felt a little deficient: not bad, but not great either. I wasn’t especially happy with the quality. eMeet’s camera feels like a step up. It’s not perfect. However, the 1440p resolution is a better both on paper and in the real world. The other part of the equation that often gets passed over are how well the noise-cancelling mics work, and in this case I was pretty impressed. This camera is also available from multiple retailers, which helps keep the price down — a must for a budget webcam. To be fair, you’ll notice the review compares the C960 2K to its predecessor, the more vanilla (1080p) C960. It’s about $10 cheaper. The C960 2K’s picture is marginally better, with improved autofocusing, but I think that the C960 2K’s mics are genuinely superior. I don’t love some of this webcam’s features, including the stick-on privacy shutter…but it is a budget webcam, after all. Who should buy the Monoprice 2K USB Webcam This is for the person who says, “I want to upgrade my webcam, but I want to spend the least amount of money possible.” You’ll still get a decent upgrade; more than you would expect, actually. If a $10 discount matters, buy the cheaper 1080p version. This webcam is also going to work better on a desktop monitor, by lieu of its rather simple mount. It feels flimsier when attached to a laptop. Read our full eMeet SmartCam C960 2K review BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro – Best premium webcam Pros Great value Robust physical design Integrated ring light Macro lens genuinely seems useful Slick remote control included Cons Not quite 4K (but close enough) No 60fps option No AI pan or zoom, though manual zooming is allowed Legacy USB-A connector Separate privacy shutter Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $199.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $199.99 at Adorama$199.99 at Amazon Why I like the BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro BenQ’s marvelous webcam offers a substantial amount of value, from its midrange price to the multiple, useful accessories that ship right inside the box. What I think I like most about this webcam, though, is that it excels as a webcam, then adds additional value through its peripherals, including both a macro (closeup) lens as well as a free remote control. This almost-but-not-quite 4K webcam even flips over for a top-down view. The IdeaCam S1 Pro would probably be our favorite webcam if it wasn’t for the $100 or so price premium it commands, which isn’t for everyone. It’s robustly built, and ships with a free software utility that adds to its capabilities. (Zooming in and out is most easily accomplished via the remote control, which does take up more room on your desk.) The webcam slides in and out of a robust mount quite easily. Pair that with the macro lens, and you can zoom in on detail work for presentations or hobbyists. The webcam has autofocus, though you’ll probably want to lock down the focus for the macro lens. It all works surprisingly well together, though. Who should buy the BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro If you’re a streamer (a woodworker or baker, say) then the ability to flip the webcam into a top-down mode, then undock the IdeaCam S1 Pro and the bring it in close with the macro lens, feels like a tool no other webcam offers. But yes, the IdeaCam S1 Pro also works as a generic everyday webcam, too. It also looks particularly nice under good lighting, so it’s better for a user who isn’t expecting the camera to do a lot of heavy lifting in that regard. And while it might not offer the absolute top-of-the-line options, it never really fails at anything, either. It’s just a good, solid value. Period. Read our full BenQ IdeaCam S1 Pro review OBSBOT Tiny 2 PTZ 4K – Best premium 4K webcam Pros Superb 4K video in multiple lighting conditions 60Hz option Excellent utility software and configurability Solid mic Voice commands are a nice touch Cons Doesn’t sit as securely as Tiny 1 “Beauty” options aren’t worth it Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $254 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $254 at Amazon Why I like the OBSBOT Tiny 2 PTZ 4K This 4K webcam does something unique: It follows you. Floating on a gimbal, this tiny(!) webcam can literally pan, zoom, and rotate essentially 360 degrees, using AI to lock on your face and follow it as you walk around a room. While the Tiny 2 webcam boasts the same gimbal and tracking features as the first Tiny PTZ webcam, OBSBOT used a bigger 1/1.5-inch 50Mpixel sensor in the new model that lets in more light and provides a slightly clearer picture. So it accomplishes what you’d expect in a webcam: It wildly succeeds as just a webcam, with gorgeous 4K HDR images — but provides the increased tracking capabilities to add value. It almost tracks a little too well; avoid zooming in too close if you walk around so as not to give your viewers vertigo! I also love the fantastic software package that accompanies the webcam, which on the Tiny 1 was the best I’ve ever seen. I’m less impressed by two new features: voice commands, which are useful but not necessary, and new “beauty” features that use AI to adjust your face. While the latter features work, I prefer a more natural appearance, flaws and all. Who should buy the OBSBOT Tiny 2 PTZ 4K If the budget webcams we selected above were ideal for students, this is the lecturer’s webcam. Share your slides with your student (or your clients, in a business setting) and let your video app project a snapshot of your face over them as you illustrate your point. If you walk and talk, this is the webcam for you. Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra – Best premium 4K webcam runner-up Pros ‘DSLR-quality’ imaging 4K options, HDR too Terrific configurability Lens cap as well as a privacy shield Cons Whew, that price! Average mic quality No Windows Hello Limited purchase options; just Razer.com for now Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $299.99 View Deal Razer $299.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $299.99 at Amazon$299.99 at Razer Why I like the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra The Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra claims to offer DSLR-quality images, and boy, it comes pretty close! This webcam captures video with a massive 2-inch lens at 4K at 30Hz or 1080p at 60Hz, using autofocusing technology that does a great job. The camera also can zoom in to offer a field of view between 72 degrees and 82 degrees, making sure that you, and you alone, are on cam. All of this combines to produce an image that looks simply outstanding. It would be nice to see this camera produce 60Hz at 4K; instead, you have to choose one option or the other. But check out the sample screens in our review, and you’ll agree that it all looks as though a professional captured it. It even handles odd lighting situations very well. Colors just pop! We’ve highlighted some of the shortcomings above, but they’re overshadowed by everything else this webcam does. Who should buy the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra If you want to look your very best on cam, buy this webcam. The lack of 4K60 captures may rule out high-end game streaming, but the ability for the camera to capture your face under most lighting conditions means a lot of other people will love it. Whether you’re pitching products on a Zoom or Teams call or you want to stand out among style-conscious peers, the Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra is the webcam for making a strong impression. Read our full Razer Kiyo Pro Ultra review NexiGo N980P – Best webcam for wide-angle Pros 60fps 120-degree viewing angle Privacy shutter Cons Lack of fine adjustments Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $54.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $54.99 at Amazon Why I like the NexiGo N980P Not everyone needs a wide-angle webcam. But this does allow you to show off more of a scene than an ordinary webcam does, which makes it a valuable tool for specialized applications. This fixed-focus 1080p webcam captures frames at a smooth 60 frames per second, as opposed to the more standard 30fps. You’ll look smoother and more lifelike as a result. The wide angle means that it will work well in a conference room. A privacy shutter is included. Who should buy the NexiGo N980P If you have more than one person on camera at any one time, consider something like the NexiGo N980P. During the pandemic, the local middle school’s drama department broadcast monologues and scenes via Zoom, which allowed students the opportunity to perform. But a narrow webcam wouldn’t have allowed these scenes to be broadcast as effectively. This camera would work equally well with a small conference room or even a family gathering, such as a living room where one family talks to grandparents overseas. It’s still a fixed-focus camera though— if you want an autofocusing model I recommend you pay about $100 for the upgraded NexiGo N680p instead. Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam – Best overall webcam for Windows Hello Pros Sharply detailed resolution with vibrant colors Wide-angle field of view Infrared-based facial recognition Cons Expensive Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $127.49 View Deal Lenovo $169.99 View Deal $191.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $127.49 at Amazon$169.99 at Lenovo$191.99 at Best Buy View more prices from Adorama Close × Best Prices Today: Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam – Best overall webcam for Windows Hello Retailer Price $127.49 View Deal Lenovo $169.99 View Deal $191.99 View Deal $199.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Why I like the Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam Why wouldn’t you buy a webcam that can protect your PC via biometrics, log you in with your face, and make you look great on a video call? The Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD webcam is one of the small group of Windows Hello webcams that can perform both tasks. The autofocusing Logitech Brio 4K supports various resolutions and frame rates, including 4K Ultra HD at 30fps, 1080p at 30- or 60fps, and 720p (HD) at 30- or 60fps. According to our review, Logitech’s RightLight 3 technology snaps photos and video in a range of lighting conditions. It can adjust the field of view from between 90 degrees to 78 degrees or 65 degrees. You will need to download the Logitech app for fine-grained control options, however. Who should buy the Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam Anyone who doesn’t like entering a password or PIN but doesn’t want to skimp on webcast quality, either. Seriously, as biometric identification becomes more prevalent, with passkeys standing in for passwords, Windows Hello will become more important. Put that way, the Brio 4K is cheap at the price. Read our full Logitech Brio 4K Ultra HD Webcam review CA Essential Webcam Flex (WC-Flex) – Best line-of-sight webcam Pros Overhead configuration can be good for streaming Image quality is decent Cons Muted colors Finicky zoom/crop controls Ungainly; primarily for monitors Best Prices Today: Retailer Price $129.99 View Deal Cyber Acoustics $129.99 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket $129.99 at Amazon$129.99 at Cyber Acoustics Why I like the CA Essential Webcam Flex: The CA Essential Webcam Flex is one of a handful of webcams that swing down and place the camera directly in the line of sight of the person you’re speaking to. With a webcam mounted on top of your monitor, you can’t look at the eyes of the person you’re talking to while maintaining eye contact with the physical webcam. CA’s webcam solves that problem, giving conversations a much more natural feel. Who should buy the CA Essential Webcam Flex: Some will dismiss the Webcam FLex as a gimmick. It kind of is. On the other hand, you’ll be able to look directly into the “face” of the person you’re talking to, even if you may need to move it slightly to the left or right to not block their image. However, the person you’re talking to will see your face directly in their screen, rather than offset. That might make both parties feel more comfortable, and foster a sense of connection that some professionals (salespeople, say) feel is critical to their job. Read our full CA Essential Webcam Flex (WC-Flex) review Recent webcam reviews and features: eMeet Piko+: eMeet packs in tons of premium features inside a webcam at an (almost) budget price. Only the finicky tripod mount holds it a bit back. Elgato Facecam Mk. 2: Elgato’s upgraded 1080p webcam offers very good image quality and top-notch image software that allows you to preview changes to the image, even if the webcam is being used. But it lacks a microphone, which is a key omission even if Elgato (a mic maker) believes you’ll already buy one of its own. iContact Camera Pro: One of the few line-of-sight webcams, the iContact dangles the webcam down in the middle of your screen, which allows you to “look” directly at the person you’re speaking to. It’s a great idea, executed a bit poorly. Coolpo AI Huddle Mini Lite: Though this laptop id designed to be mounted on a laptop, Coolpo designed it for both individual and group use. It features excellent image quality and noise cancellation, though the utility app is buggy. Windows 11 just torpedoed the webcam market with a new feature: Your old Android smartphone can now serve as a premium webcam. Finally! Windows will let your webcam work in multiple apps at once: Windows 11 will finally stop throwing errors when multiple apps use your camera at the same time. How to shop for a webcam A standalone 1080p webcam can greatly improve how you look on your next Zoom call. Here’s what to look for: Prioritize a 1080p webcam, then a higher refresh rate, then jump up to 4K. If you can get more than one feature, great! Unless you’ll be moving about a lot, a fixed-focus webcam will do just fine. It’s important to note that of the three major videoconferencing services (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Google Meet) only Teams will automatically scale up your video to 1080p if your network and your webcam support it. You can enable 1080p video in Zoom and (finally!) in Google Meet, but they require some manual adjustment in the app’s Settings menu. All three services will eventually auto-scale video calls for 1080p cameras — it’s just a matter of time. Looking like you’re on television will subtly lend you authority. People gravitate toward celebrities, and a 4K, 60Hz webcam is basically what your TV offers. If you’re an executive or making sales calls over Zoom or Teams, a premium webcam may give you an edge. That’s why professional streamers use them, after all. Adjustable or fixed focus Don’t worry about fixed-focus, as virtually all webcams have been pre-configured at a focal length that’s about the distance between your face and your laptop or monitor. You’ll need to account for this with tripods, however, or pay a little more for an autofocusing webcam. Autofocus webcams are handy for situations where you may be moving about the room, but beware distracting webcams that frequently refocus. Higher frame rates A standard webcam captures video at 30 frames per second, and will look “normal.” You’ll notice the smoothness of a 60fps camera though, and so will people you’re on a video call with. Field of view (FOV)  The camera’s field of view can vary. A 90-degree FOV helps people focus on you (and perhaps not the mess you’ve hidden off to the side). A 110-degree or higher FOV works better for group shots, although distortion can become a problem the wider your FOV gets. A 65-degree FOV may be perfect if it’s just you. Think of a 90-degree FOV as one that would show two people seated side-by-side at what you would consider a “standard” distance from a webcam, or a foot or two. A 110-degree FOV can show three people, squeezed a bit close together. Keep in mind that many videoconferencing applications offer the option of virtual backgrounds, which eliminate visual clutter. Privacy shutter These devices are not a privacy threat, for the simple reason that they can be unplugged easily. Most have a flip-down privacy shutter, but you could always put tape over the camera or drape it with a dark cloth.  Ring lights Yes, integrated ring lights are now a thing on premium webcams, and worth the money if lighting is a challenge for you. While the integrated light will certainly help with lighting, a big bright monitor display (use a full-screen version of Notepad for a white screen) in front of you can serve a similar function. You can also purchase a ring light separately. Windows Hello You may have used Windows Hello with a fingerprint reader or another laptop. The camera simply “recognizes” you, logging you in. It’s exceptionally convenient. We have a separate article on the best Windows Hello webcams. Tripod bundle With so many webcams on the market, manufacturers are trying hard to differentiate their products. The new trend is a small tripod, which gives you more options for mounting the camera. Not all webcams include this. Normally, however, you can simply clip the webcam to the top of a display or a laptop with its “jaws” clamp, so a tripod isn’t really necessary unless you move around a lot or want a different angle. AI There’s a potential wild card that may be attached to webcams in the future: artificial intelligence, specifically Windows Studio Effects. Right now, the current Surface Pro 9 (5G) uses the AI capabilities in the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor to apply background blue, automatic panning effects, and more. (Our review discusses this.) Other laptops that use Intel Core and AMD Ryzen processors don’t include AI capabilities — yet. Specific models in the 13th-gen mobile Core and AMD Ryzen 7000 Mobile series include some basic AI capabilities, and future processors in both families may offer AI capabilities and therefore Windows Studio Effects. The OBSBOT webcams don’t need any of this, using an independent gimbal and tracking software to keep you in the frame. How we test webcams Our recommendations for webcams are weighted pretty heavily toward the image each webcam produces, as you might expect. But there are a number of additional criteria we look at when making a webcam recommendation. A separate article provides a detailed explanation of how we test webcams at PCWorld, but here’s a summarization of the process: Our first criteria is price. We don’t want you spend more than you have to. But it’s fair to say that a more expensive webcam might be worth it if it offers more. So we factor in features: the resolution, the refresh rate, whether the camera pans or zooms, or offers something rather novel, such as the ability to show a different perspective. From there, we remove the webcam, examine the packaging, and see how well it sits atop some of our monitors and laptops. Does it grip tightly, or tend to wobble? Is the cord long enough, and does it use USB-A or USB-C? As the lead reviewer, I take sample images both in my downstairs office, which is normally lit by a combination of dim artificial light and indirect natural lighting. I use a second shot in brighter light, with a nice colorful background that mimics a real-world environment. I’m not really looking for the best-case scenario, as most webcams now take good shots in clear, natural lighting. But how do they do when lighting conditions aren’t ideal? I think that’s important. I also load any utility software available and explore what options those provides. Does the webcam provide any additional functions, such as a top-down perspective? Ring lights? I try those out, too. Finally, if the webcam provides any noise-cancelling mics (and most do) I play some background music on my phone and make a recording on my laptop using Windows Sound Recorder. A good noise-canceling mic will try and minimize these distractions. FAQ 1. Can you use a smartphone as a webcam? Soon, yes! Microsoft is testing a smartphone webcam feature in Windows 11 that sounds like it should be out in a month or two. The feature would allow you to mount a smartphone (how you do it is up to you) and then use either its front or rear camera as a webcam in any and all video applications. You’ll need a phone running Android 9 or above, and the connecting software to enable it to talk to Windows. Sorry, iPhone users: This is only for Android smartphones. 2. Do you need Wi-Fi for a webcam? Yes and no. These webcams all connect to your computer directly, via a USB port, and you can record video from them while offline. Your computer will then need to be connected to either ethernet or to Wi-Fi for you to be able to chat with a friend or business partner, however. 3. Can a webcam work without a computer? Some webcams can work without a computer, but not all of them. USB webcams, featured here, connect via USB to a computer and require it to operate. USB webcams are most often those used for video chat or live streaming from your computer on websites such as Twitch. IP webcams however, can connect directly to a network, router, or modem and do not require a computer at all in order to work. IP webcams are most often used as security cameras or for live feeds that upload directly to the cloud. Those are separate products, however, and not the same webcams we’re talking about here. 4. How do I connect my webcam to the internet? For USB webcams, it will be as simple as plugging the camera into your computer’s USB port, and then connecting to the internet via your computer. 5. What software do I need to connect my webcam? Technically, most webcams are plug and play, so you should simply be able to connect them to your PC to get them to work. Many, however, require their own software utilities to be installed to take advantage of specific features and to facilitate automatic updates. To actually use your webcam in a conference call, however, you’ll need to use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, or another videoconferencing app. Make sure you enter the app’s settings menu and select the webcam’s camera and microphone to provide the audio and video for your call. Read...

A lot of gamers go to great lengths to find a portable retro gaming device with the lightest and most compact kit. The Linux powered Raspberry Pi 5 does a decent job on that front. But what many players don’t know is that an even smaller and lighter solution is available by turning the humble USB flash drive into a portable gaming console. You still need a PC to play, but it means you can get around with more compact gear. Here’s how to do it for under $100… What you’ll need… A USB flash drive: I’m using the SanDisk 512GB drive, but you can also use one with a smaller or larger capacity. A small wireless keyboard: Here’s one on Amazon I found for just $10 that will do the job just fine. It also has a compartment in the back to store your USB flash drive. A gamepad: A lot of USB gamers rate the 8BitDo Pro 2. It supports USB-C, so you can just plug it into your PC without any fuss. Adam Patrick Murray What to do… Install the OS on your flash drive Your flash drive needs to be set up with the open-source OS Batocera to play. Here are the steps: Plug your USB flash drive into your PC. Go to the Batocera website. Then select the x64 Windows version of the OS and wait until it downloads. Now download and install the BalenaEtcher tool which you will need to flash the Batocera OS to your flash drive. Open BalenaEtcher, click Flash from File and choose the downloaded Batocera file. Choose your USB flash drive and select Flash to flash the OS to the device. When the flashing is done, hit Cancel or Ignore on all the windows that pop up. Boot into your flash drive Now that the OS is installed, you need to boot into your flash drive. There are two ways to do this, so if the right options don’t appear the first way, try the second way. Method 1 Type recovery options into the Windows start menu and under Advanced Startup hit Restart now. Now select Use a device and then UEFI: Removable Device. Batocera should boot now. If you didn’t see the option to select the UEFI: Removable Device, use the next method. Method 2 Power down your PC and power it up again. While your PC is powering up hit the F12 key to enter your PC’s BIOS menu. When given the choice to pick a boot device select UEFI: USB, Partition (your USB flash device). This should boot you into Batocera. Further reading: Best external drives Load games into Batocera Now that you have Batocera installed you’re going to want to populate the OS with some games. Batocera is an emulation frontend that supports a large number of game emulators for retro game consoles. PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo 3DS games are just a small fraction of the game types you can play using Batocera. The OS does come with a limited number of game ROMs preloaded, which are free and legal to use, but if you want more than that you’ll need to install your own ROMs. Dominic Bayley / IDG I can’t tell you where to get these from. It’s illegal to use ROMs without a license, so you’ll want to own each and every one. Here’s how to load them up. In Batocera press F1 to launch the file manager. Find the location of the ROM files on your computer, or else plug in the storage device that has the ROMs (USB stick or hard drive) and select it from the list on the left-hand side. Highlight and right click on the files you want to copy. Click on ROMs down the left-hand side. Find the folder for the appropriate game emulator and paste the game files into it. Now your games will be visible, but some may not have artwork. To apply artwork to each game, find the game in Batocera and long press the X button (number 3 button) on your controller. Now select Scrape. You will have to be connected to the internet for this to work. You should be up and running now and can use your flash drive on any PC to play retro games. As a general rule any PC with mid-range specs will work a treat; you should hit about 60fps in most games. Some things to take note of This whole process can be done with an SD card or a portable hard drive instead of a USB flash drive. Personally, I find a USB flash drive is the ideal size to carry, being neither too small, nor too large. To get the best out of Batocera and your games, it’s also worth watching a few “How to” videos to familiarize yourself with the OS. You’ll want to learn how to adjust the video settings and resolution for specific emulators, for example, so that your games will look great. For these and more tutorials, a great source of information is the YouTube channel Batocera Nation. That’s all for now. Happy retro gaming! Further reading: Is your USB flash drive trustworthy? These tips will tell you Read...

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The Marshall Islands and Palau joined Russia and the United States in voting Monday against a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly about Ukraine. Read...

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Ages ago, coworkers asked why I covered my laptop’s webcam. Then they saw a video where a hacker used a remote access trojan (RAT) to spy on two people sleeping. They started taping over their webcam lenses, too. But that’s actually not enough to keep someone from spying on you. If you want full privacy on a laptop, you need to block your microphone, too. Malware capable of recording your camera’s feed can just as easily capture your incoming audio, as antivirus maker Kaspersky recently reminded us. (These types of data aren’t the only ones a hacker can steal, but they’re among the creepiest.) Fortunately, you can do this in a few ways, and quickly, too. An easy method is plugging in a headset (headphones with a built-in or attached mic) with a mute button. One with a non-functional mic will also do, so long as the mic still recognized by Windows. Connect the headset, mute it, and then verify in Windows’ Sound settings that it’s the active mic (Sound settings > Input). Usually, it should automatically switch over. You can test your microphone while in the Sound settings to verify it’s muted. In Windows 11, click on the mic, then find the Microphone test option. In Windows 10, you can perform the test from the main Sound settings screen. Windows 11 Sound settings scrolled down to the Input (aka microphone) section.PCWorld Windows 10 Sound Settings general screen, with output and microphone both active.PCWorld The most effective method isn’t much harder, but it requires manual undoing every time you want to use the microphone again. For Windows 11, open the Sound settings, then scroll to Input. Click on the mic. Under Audio, press on the Don’t allow button.  For Windows 10, head to Sound settings, click on the Device properties link, then tick the box for Disable. It will disappear from the list of input options. This option is best if you rarely (or never) use your laptop’s built-in microphone, or even the mic of on your headset or earbuds.  Windows 11 Sound settings for a specific microphone.PCWorld To re-enable the microphone in Windows 11, head back to Sound settings > [your device] > Audio, then click on the button that says Allow. For Windows 10, hit up Sound settings > Input, then choose Manage sound devices. Find your device under Input > Disabled. Click on it, then on the Enable button. Speaking of additional audio equipment—if you have multiple devices with microphones, you can selectively disable ones you don’t use. I do this for the Logitech C920 webcam connected to my desktop PC. I hate how it sounds, and disabling reduces the number of devices I have to scroll through whenever I change my settings. Laptop users have the most to be concerned about, when it comes to hackers listening to them on the sly—most desktop PCs don’t have built-in microphones. (A notable exception are all-in-one desktop computers.) But for peace of mind, owners of desktop PCs can still check in Sound settings to see if you have an active microphone. Our Favorite antivirus Norton 360 Deluxe Read our review Of course, the best way to avoid someone spying on you is to never allow a rogue piece of software on your PC to begin with. Keep your antivirus up to date, and be wary about sites you visit and downloads you voluntarily grab. Compromised or malicious sites can result in drive-by downloads, and any “Linux distros” (ahem) distributed through torrents can have unwanted extras. But sometimes our first lines of defense fail, and so limiting use of your laptop’s audio and video can be a secondary safeguard. And if nothing else, these measures can save you from accidentally broadcasting a side conversation when you’re in a company-wide Zoom call. Read...

It’s taken a couple years, but regional sports networks are starting to realize they charge too much to stream local games. NESN 360, which offers live streams of the Boston Red Sox and Bruins, just dropped its annual price from $330 to $240, while also throwing in four Red Sox tickets. Main Street Sports Group, which operates regional FanDuel Sports Network channels, has hinted at lower prices as well, and in some markets, local games stream for free or are available over-the-air with an antenna. What you’re witnessing are the first tweaks to a misguided sports streaming strategy, one that assumes high direct-to-consumer prices will discourage cord-cutting while offsetting the revenue losses linked to the decline of cable TV. That strategy hasn’t been working for regional sports networks, and it’s not going to work for the likes of ESPN and Fox, which plan to launch their own expensive streaming services later this year. A broken model The regional sports model—and live sports in general—used to be extremely lucrative. Sports networks earned per-subscriber fees from every cable customer, so they made money even from folks who never watched sports. That model’s been unraveling as more folks cancel their cable and satellite subscriptions. Most live TV streaming services don’t offer regional sports networks because they don’t bring in enough viewers to justify the cost, and those that do—namely DirecTV Stream and Fubo—relegate regional sports to more expensive tiers. Even on the cable side, Comcast has stopped offering regional sports in its base packages to keep prices down. Meanwhile, a growing proportion of cord-cutters are realizing they don’t need pay TV bundles at all. These trends have put regional sports networks in a bind. They don’t want to offer anything that would risk the easy money that still comes from cable, but they also can’t ignore their declining customer base and the growing proportion of viewers who’ve moved away from pay TV. The failed solution To address this dilemma, most regional sports networks have opted to charge excessive rates for standalone streaming. FanDuel Sports Network, for instance, only costs between $3 to $8 per month as part of a cable bundle, yet it costs $20 per month on its own. NESN’s carriage fee was a little over $5 per month as of 2021, yet NESN 360 costs $30 per month. The thinking goes that if standalone streaming is expensive enough, it’ll reach a new generation of cable-free superfans without actively encouraging more cord-cutting. Too bad the strategy isn’t working. When FanDuel Sports Network’s streaming service launched in 2022 (under the name Bally Sports+), its owners hoped it would eventually reach 4.4 million subscribers. The actual subscriber count today is only around a half-million, and now it projects to reach a less-ambitious 2.8 million subscribers by 2027. Meanwhile, the channel has lost 22 million pay TV subscribers over the past four years, and by 2027 its owners expect to lose 6 million more. The truth is that there just aren’t aren’t enough people willing to pay $20 to $30 per month for regional sports, nor are there enough people willing to keep expensive pay TV packages just to watch those channels. Like a lot of streamers, the regional sports networks have underestimated peoples’ ability to tune out. Lowering the paywall All this brings us to the news that NESN 360 is cutting the price of annual plans, from $330 to $240. The service’s monthly plan still costs $30, but the annual option will make a lot more sense for year-round Boston sports fans, especially with Red Sox tickets thrown in. Speaking to Mollie Cahillane at Sports Business Journal, NESN president David Wisnia acknowledged that it was asking too much. “Inflation is high,” he said. “There’s a saturation limit in terms of DTC [direct-to-consumer] right now, and we wanted to get into people’s homes and make it as available as we can, while balancing the financials of it and making sure it still makes sense for us.” NESN isn’t alone in changing its tune. Last month, Main Street Sports Group CEO David Preschlack told CNBC’s Alexander Sherman that the company is considering price cuts for FanDuel Sports Network as well. “We have the ability to go lower, and we’re going to test different price points, absolutely,” he said. Meanwhile, some teams are already embracing a philosophy of long-term reach over short-term subscription revenues. In Utah, a subscription to watch local Jazz games still costs $20 per month, but you can also watch for free with an antenna or your can stream individual games for $5 each. Jazz owner Ryan Smith told Sherman he’d never go back to the old model. “The more people watch, the more people come to games, the more we sell in concessions, the more money we bring in with sponsorships,” Smith said. Omens for ESPN and Fox The strategy of charging high standalone rates for sports streaming isn’t just going to be troublesome for regional sports networks. This year, both ESPN and Fox plan to launch their own standalone services. ESPN’s is rumored to cost between $25 and $30 per month, and Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch has told investors that it will intentionally charge a high price, so as not to cannibalize its pay TV business. “We don’t want, and we have no intention of, turning a traditional distribution customer into our direct-to-consumer customer,” Murdoch said. “So, our subscriber expectations will be modest, and we’re going to price the service accordingly.” Good luck with that. If sports fans are balking at $30 per month to watch their favorite teams every day or two, why would casual sports fans pay similar prices for a smattering of nationally televised games they might not even care about? Moreover, what’s even the point of offering a service whose price is intentionally unappealing? Regional sports networks are already failing at the same strategy, and the national sports networks will be next. What’s the solution? Sports streamers still have to pay astronomical costs for live sports rights, and those costs aren’t coming down anytime soon. That means direct-to-consumer streaming probably won’t get much cheaper on its own. What we’ll likely see instead is more attractive and flexible bundling. Disney and Max are already finding success bundling their non-sports streaming services together at a discount, and Disney could pursue something similar for ESPN with Fox’s streaming service. Perhaps they could also offer regional sports add-ons at lower-than-standalone rates. Instead of making everyone pay for sports, they can offer fairer pricing by putting lots of sports in one place. Sports networks have spent far too long trying to prop up traditional TV packages with little to show for it. They’d be wise to start building something better to replace it. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more streaming TV insights. Read...