Cord cutters have long wished for a way to stream local broadcast channels for less than the price of a full-pay TV package. Now it’s finally happening. DirecTV, which has leaned more into streaming than satellite TV of late, now offers a $40-a-month bundle with all four major broadcast networks—ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC—in five U.S. markets. It offers three of the big four networks in more than a dozen additional U.S. markets. The local channels are part of DirecTV’s “MyNews” genre pack, which it launched in February. Despite the focus on news in DirecTV’s marketing, MyNews is now the cheapest option for streaming local channels—including all their sports and entertainment programming—in certain markets. DirecTV’s sneaky local channel bundle When DirecTV launched MyNews in February, it was a pretty unusual offering. Local channel coverage was limited to Fox and NBC stations, and its cable news lineup—which includes CNN, NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, and Fox Business—didn’t really justify the $40 per month asking price. In fact, DirecTV’s own MyEntertainment package was a much better value for news hounds. For $35 per month, it includes those same five cable news channels, plus a bunch of entertainment channels and complimentary subscriptions to Disney+, Hulu, and Max. A couple things changed since then: In June, DirecTV made a deal to bring Paramount-owned stations into its genre packs. That includes CBS in DirecTV’s MyNews and MySports bundles. In mid-July, DirecTV quietly started adding ABC stations to the MyNews bundle in select markets. (This was first pointed out by folks on Reddit.) Having access to at least three of the big four broadcast networks changes the calculation, because no other live TV streaming service offers local channels for this low of a price. (PBS isn’t included, but you can stream it for free through PBS’s apps.) The closest alternative is Sling TV Blue, which costs $46 per month and only includes Fox and/or NBC in a small number of markets. ABC is available in additional markets, but that raises the price to $51 per month. The other options for full local channel coverage are to pay $70 per month for DirecTV’s MySports pack or at least $83 per month for a full-pay TV package such as YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV. MyNews local channel availability DirecTV My News’ local channel lookup.Jared Newman / Foundry Full local channel coverage in DirecTV MyNews is not yet available nationwide. Jon Greer, a DirecTV spokesman, says it’s been bringing more CBS and ABC affiliates online now, with the goal of having broader availability for football season. In the meantime, here’s the easiest way to see which local channels DirecTV’s MyNews carries in your area: Head to DirecTV’s Genre Packs page. Under the MyNews section, click the “See all 10+ channels” link. Enter your zip code at the top of the pop-up. (You may need to hit “Change” first.) Look for the stations marked as “Local” in the channel list. I’ve also compiled a list of major cities with at least three of the big four local channels: CityABCCBSFoxNBCBaltimore, MD???Boston, MA???Chicago, IL????Dallas-Fort Worth, TX???Denver, CO???Detroit, MI???Fresno, CA???Ft. Lauderdale, FL???Houston, TX???Los Angeles, CA????Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN???New York, NY????Philadelphia, PA????Pittsburgh, PA???Raleigh-Durham, NC???Sacramento, CA???San Francisco, CA????Seattle-Tacoma, WA??? This is not a complete list, as DirecTV is adding stations in more markets over time. Should you get DirecTV MyNews for local channels? If you can pick up local ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC stations with an antenna, DirecTV MyNews is not for you, as you’ll get the same local station coverage over-the-air for free. (If you want MyNews’ actual news channels, DirecTV’s MyEntertainment package gets you nearly all of them for less.) Those who want national sports channels such as ESPN and Fox Sports should also look elsewhere. DirecTV’s $70 per month MySports package has comparable local and cable news coverage, while also including sports channels. Bigger bundles such as YouTube TV and Hulu + Live TV are worth a look as well, at least until the unbundled versions of ESPN and Fox’s sports channels arrive. DirecTV’s MyNews is more narrowly focused on folks who want local channels for NFL games and other primetime programming, but can do without cable’s sports and entertainment channels. Folks who can’t receive those channels with an antenna finally have a cheaper way to stream them—with a little bit of news on the side. Sign up for Jared’s Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter for more money-saving streaming advice. Read...

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It’s official: Peacock’s with-ads plan is now the priciest of its big-name streaming competitors. At the same time, Peacock has rolled out a new, cheaper plan aimed at budget-conscious cord-cutters—but you’ll be missing some of the streamer’s biggest offerings in the bargain.  Available now for new and current subscribers, Peacock Select costs $7.99/month or $79.99/year, making it $3/month cheaper than Peacock’s ad-supported Premium plan and $9/month less than the ad-free Peacock Premium Plus tier. The cost of Peacock’s Premium plans jumped last week following a steep round of price increases.  Like Peacock Premium, Peacock Select is an ad-supported plan, but “Select” is the key word, as the new tier offers only a selection of Peacock Premium content, not the entire slate. The details are below, but suffice it to say that Love Island fans aren’t going to be happy. What’s included in Peacock Select? Before we dive into what’s missing from Peacock Select, let’s first cover what you will get. NBC current & library: Think current and legacy shows on the NBC broadcast network, such as the various Law & Order series, Chicago Fire and its ilk, and The Office. NBC shows that are currently running will appear on Peacock Select the next day after they’re aired, just like on the Peacock Premium tiers. Bravo current season & library: The Real Housewives shows, Below Deck, and other Bravo series are all on tap for Peacock Select streamers.  “Other” TV library: Licensed shows and other series that don’t fit neatly into the NBC or Bravo buckets, including Yellowstone, the popular Telemundo series El Señor de los Cielos, and my personal favorite soap, Days of Our Lives.  Live streaming channels: Expect The Office Channel, NBC News Now Channel, and other ad-supported streaming channels for NBCUniversal TV shows. What’s missing from Peacock Select? Peacock Originals: No Love Island shows, meaning no Love Island USA, no Love Island: Beyond the Villa, and no Love Island Games. Also thrown out with the bathwater are The Traitors, Poker Face, Twisted Metal, The Paper, and anything else with the Peacock Originals label. Ouch.  Sports and live events: Here’s another massive category that Peacock Select subscribers must live without. Say goodbye to live sports, meaning no Sunday Night Football, no NBA games, no WWE, no Premier League, and no Big Ten, among other live sporting events.   Movies: Peacock’s library of movies from Universal, Focus Features, DreamWorks Animation, Illumination, and other affiliated studios is MIA in Peacock Select, as are the streaming movie channels (Comedy Movies channel, the Shrek channel, etc.) that Peacock Premium streamers enjoy.  Your local NBC channel: This omission isn’t a big shock, as access to your local NBC affiliate is exclusive to the ad-free Peacock Premium Plus tier. Still, it’s worth noting.  Is Peacock Select worth it? You’re missing out on a lot of key Peacock Premium content if you sign up for the Peacock Select plan. Sports fans, movie mavens, and aficionados of Peacock’s reality game shows are particularly left in the lurch.  But if you don’t care about those categories, Peacock Select might be a good option for those looking to keep up with shows on the NBC broadcast network, while addicts of the just-renewed Days can get their daily fix of the Bradys, the DiMeras, and the Hortons.  In any event, whether the Peacock Select tier will stick around in the long term is an open question. For its part, Peacock says Select is “being tested as we explore various offerings.” Read...

If you’ve spent any amount of time using ChatGPT, you already know that it often requires lengthy explanations, prompt tweaks, and/or extra context to get it doing what you actually meant. Often, but not always. ChatGPT is capable of performing useful tasks with single, one-line prompts. When worded correctly, ChatGPT will perform the following tasks without hesitation, without extra context, and without issue — though as always, AI can sometimes suffer from inaccurate “hallucinations,” so be sure to double check ChatGPT’s work for critical or sensitive needs. Let’s dig in! Get meal ideas from available ingredients Dave Parrack / Foundry Most of us endure busy working lives these days, which leaves little time for doing much of anything else—and that can include grocery shopping for the ingredients needed for home-cooked meals. Thankfully, if you ever find yourself with a small set of ingredients and no idea what to make with them, ChatGPT can help. Just list the staple (and otherwise) ingredients you have available and ask ChatGPT for some meal ideas using them. As an example, I asked, “What meals can I make with rice, eggs, and frozen mixed vegetables?” ChatGPT suggested egg fried rice, a vegetable rice omelet, and baked egg fried rice muffins, among others. Pretty nifty in a pinch. Troubleshoot tech and home repair problems Dave Parrack / Foundry When something goes wrong, your first instinct might be to panic or shut down—but maybe it should be to ask ChatGPT for help instead. ChatGPT can provide troubleshooting help whenever you’re stuck dealing with an unknown or unexpected issue. Just ask ChatGPT to provide a list of troubleshooting steps for whatever has gone wrong. In my case, I’ve asked what I can do about a Windows laptop that has stopped working—my short prompt of “Please list some troubleshooting steps for a Windows laptop that has stopped working” resulted in a solid list of 10 things I could try. This is equally useful for all kinds of other problems, like if your toilet randomly flushes on its own every so often, if your car starts making a weird noise, or if your wireless router is on the fritz. Just make sure you never share sensitive personal data with ChatGPT! Create tailor-made workout routines Dave Parrack / Foundry While YouTube remains an option when looking for a workout routine, ChatGPT can provide you with ones that are as general or as specific as you need them to be. Want exercises for people your age? Or stretches for an aching lower back? Or simple workouts you can do at home without any equiment? Ones you can do at your desk? No worries! I personally asked ChatGPT, “Please create a short workout routine a 40-year-old can do in their lounge.” (I’m a bit older than 40, but what better way to stay young than to work out as a younger person would?) ChatGPT came through for me with a 20-minute low-impact workout routine that I found challenging but doable. It’s one of the many ways you can use ChatGPT to actually improve your life. Generate comprehensive checklists Dave Parrack / Foundry Checklists are so useful for when you absolutely don’t want to forget an important step, like when you’re packing for vacation, hosting a party, or spring cleaning your home. ChatGPT can help by creating checklists for lots of different scenarios—and for best results, you’ll want to include specific details to clue ChatGPT into your specific needs. I asked ChatGPT to “Please provide me with a checklist for packing for a vacation to Italy in September.” Note that I mentioned both the location and time of year I was visiting! The more context you can provide in your prompt, the more accurate and helpful the checklist will be. Explain concepts (like I’m 5) Dave Parrack / Foundry With a single, one-line prompt, ChatGPT can explain even the most complex concepts in a way that you can grasp. Want to understand nuclear fission? Or how EV batteries work? Or what kind of engineering goes into modern data centers? Just ask! But make sure to tack on the “like I’m 5” to your prompt—taken from the ELI5 trope on Reddit—so that ChatGPT dumbs down the subject enough to be digestible no matter your background. As an example, I asked ChatGPT to explain the concept of time travel like I’m 5. (Feel free to change the age or add any other qualifiers you want.) Summarize online articles Dave Parrack / Foundry Do you feel like you’re inundated with so much information that you just can’t keep up or absorb it all? You aren’t alone. There are billions of web pages out there—no one has the time or energy to read every single thing that catches their eye. Thankfully, ChatGPT can help by analyzing any online article and spitting out the most important bits. In the example above, I asked ChatGPT to summarize my own article about mundane tasks ChatGPT can handle for you—and it accurately broke it down, correctly citing PCWorld as the source throughout. In testing, I found that ChatGPT sometimes even pulls info from other sources to fill in details and provide more context. See what happened on a day in history Dave Parrack / Foundry It’s important to not only know what has happened in the past, but to understand why those things happened. You could work your way through encyclopedias and history books, spending years of your life absorbing facts and putting them together… or you could put ChatGPT to work and get it to do all the heavy lifting for you. With a simple prompt, ChatGPT can list all the major historical events that have happened on a particular day. You can ask about a specific day in a specific year, or the same particular day throughout the years. If the response stokes your interest, you can follow up with probing queries and learn more. But for many, the initial one-line prompt should suffice. Answer simple trivia questions Dave Parrack / Foundry If you’re anything like me, you frequently come across questions to which you don’t know their answers. Not to worry! You can just ask ChatGPT to answer those questions for you, pronto. I’m talking about questions with definitive answers, such as trivia. Who won a certain sports tournament in a given year? What year was a certain music album released? Which mountain is the tallest in the world? That sort of thing. Any question with an open-ended answer, or one with multiple potential answers, could complicate matters. Learn a new word every day Dave Parrack / Foundry I love learning something new every day, whether it’s practical and purposeful or gimmicky and trivial. One thing that blends both ends of the spectrum is the concept of a “word of the day”—and ChatGPT can provide you with a new word every day via a one-line prompt. Just input, “Please provide a word of the day for today.” ChatGPT will then provide a word along with its meaning, origin, and an example of it used in a sentence. It will then ask if you’d like a different word each day from then on, saving you from ever having to ask again. Combine tasks like this with ChatGPT’s nifty “scheduled tasks” feature to boost your productivity and save lots of time! Translate words or simple phrases Dave Parrack / Foundry If you’re traveling abroad, you should try to learn some of the local language. Sure, most people around the world speak enough English to get by, but that’s no excuse for being lazy! Pick a few choice words or phrases and learn how to say them in the language of the country you’re visiting—and that’s something ChatGPT can help you with. To be clear, ChatGPT is more than capable of translating longer phrases and even whole articles, documents, and publications. However, once you enter that kind of territory, you’re leaving the “one-line prompt” zone and will need to write prompts that are more complex. Convert units of measurement Dave Parrack / Foundry As a kid, I never imagined how often I would need to convert one type of unit into another—but as an adult, I’m doing it far too often. While Google and other tools do a decent job of converting all types of units, I’ve actually found ChatGPT more capable. In this example, I asked ChatGPT to “convert 100 centimeters into feet and inches.” It converted 100 centimeters into both feet and inches along with its reasoning. You’ll be pleased to know that the math checks out! Further reading: 9 mundane chores ChatGPT can handle in seconds, saving you hours Read...

At a glanceExpert`s Rating Pros Roku’s remote also controls TV volume and power Smooth performance for the price Portable design that draws power from the USB port on most TVs Cons Weak long-range Wi-Fi performance App launches are a bit slower than pricier Roku models Home screen feels increasingly cluttered Our Verdict The Roku Streaming Stick (2025) is a cheap way to bring Roku’s smarts to any TV, but you’ll need to accept some trade-offs. Price When Reviewed This value will show the geolocated pricing text for product undefined Best Pricing Today Best Prices Today: Roku Streaming Stick (2025) Retailer Price $19 View Deal Price comparison from over 24,000 stores worldwide Product Price Price comparison from Backmarket Of all the streaming devices Roku offers, the 2025 edition of the Roku Streaming Stick is—apologies in advance—the Rokuiest. The company prides itself on offering a smooth streaming experience on cheap hardware, and the Roku Streaming Stick (HD) is its least expensive model at $30. It addresses the biggest problems with Roku’s previous low-end offering, the Roku Express, by adding TV and voice controls to its remote and using a more portable design that you can plug directly into a TV’s HDMI port. Roku hasn’t sold an HD streaming dongle like this since 2018, and it’s nice to have one back in the lineup. While the $40 Roku Streaming Stick Plus gets you 4K HDR video support and slightly better performance—and there are other options from Roku’s rivals worth considering in this price range—the $30 Streaming Stick works if you don’t pay for 4K streaming services or just want something cheap to travel with. The latest Roku Streaming Stick’s remote is a big upgrade over the one that came with the old Roku Express, because it can control the TV’s volume and power. What you get with the cheapest Roku stick Jared Newman / Foundry The Roku Streaming Stick is roughly the size of a large finger and is identifiable by its purple printed-on Roku logo, versus the embossed black logo on the Streaming Stick Plus. It has an HDMI connector at one end that plugs directly into the television, and Roku will still send you a free HDMI extender if the dongle doesn’t fit behind your TV. The Roku Streaming Stick also needs a source of power; however, it notably does not come with a power adapter that you’d plug into an AC outlet. All you get is a five-foot USB-A to USB-C cable, which you’re supposed to plug into the USB port on your TV. The dongle drew sufficient power from every TV I tested it with, but you might need a USB-A power adapter for really old TVs that don’t have USB power ports. The remote is a big upgrade over the old Roku Express remote because it can control the TV’s volume and power directly. Combined with HDMI-CEC for input-switching, you might not need to use your TV remote at all. Roku’s remote also supports voice control, so you can search for apps, launch content, and dictate login details instead of pecking on each app’s on-screen keyboard. Unlike the old Roku Express remote, the Roku Streaming Stick has TV volume, power, and voice control buttons.Jared Newman / Foundry On the downside, the Roku Streaming Stick doesn’t accept IR input, like the old Express, so you can’t program a basic universal remote to control it. Roku’s remote also can’t directly control soundbars and A/V receivers over infrared, so you’ll need a separate remote if your sound system lacks HDMI-CEC support. The $100 Roku Ultra is now the only option that works with programmable IR remotes. Roku Streaming Stick performance and Wi-Fi reception Streaming dongles have advanced to the point that performance isn’t an issue even on the cheapest devices. The Roku Streaming Stick scrolls smoothly through most menus, and you’ll seldom need to wait long for an app to load. Still, performance is a step down from pricier models. In side-by-side testing, app load times were occasionally a few seconds slower than the Roku Streaming Stick Plus and the Roku Streaming Stick 4K, and it needed more time to fill in program information while scrolling quickly through the channel guide in Pluto TV. With Netflix, the higher-end Sticks were better at picking up where I’d left off after switching to another app, while the Roku Streaming Stick had to completely reload Netflix when switching back. The Roku Streaming Stick’s Wi-Fi performance is also worse than other models. It uses an outdated Wi-Fi 4 connection (Wi-Fi 4 was first standardized way back in 2009). Certified Wi-Fi routers are backward compatible, so this won’t be a problem if you set it up in a spot with solid reception, but Roku’s device can falter at long range. In the same office as my Eero 6 Pro (a Wi-Fi 6 mesh router), for instance, the Streaming Stick maintained a solid 100Mbps connection, and on my back deck, about 30 feet from a wireless Eero satellite, it maintained speeds around 50Mbps, which is still plenty for streaming. But when I moved the Roku Streaming Stick to the opposite corner of my backyard, it displayed a weak signal warning and averaged less than 10Mbps in speed tests. The Roku Streaming Stick Plus, which uses a Wi-Fi 5 connection, maintained speeds around 20Mbps in the same location. The Roku Streaming Stick 4K, which has a separate Wi-Fi 5 adapter built into its power cord, achieved speeds of around 100Mbps. The Streaming Stick showed this error at the far edge of my property, where pricier models did not.Jared Newman / Foundry Roku says you can use wired ethernet adapters with these devices. but when I tried connecting the Roku Streaming Stick to a couple of USB-C hubs with ethernet ports, the connection didn’t work. Only Roku’s Ultra models have hardwired ethernet ports built in. Roku’s software: Still simple, but getting worse Jared Newman / Foundry Using a Roku device in 2025 means coming to grips with changes to its interface, not all for the better. It used to work like this: The main Home section presented a straightforward grid of apps, and if you needed help deciding what to watch, Roku offered recommendations through its additional sidebar menus, such as “What to Watch” and “Featured Free.” Roku is now stuffing more of those recommendations into the Home section. There’s a set of “Top Picks for You” tiles above the app grid, a series of genre-based menu links underneath, and a separate set of links for Home, Food, and Sports beneath that. The increasingly cluttered Home section might require scrolling just to see your apps.Jared Newman / Foundry I don’t fault Roku for following the lead of other streaming platforms, whose home-screen recommendations can be helpful, but Roku’s approach feels like the worst of both worlds. Between the new content tiles and the huge banner ad on the right-hand side of the screen, the Home section just feels cluttered and cramped, and its sidebar menu options have also multiplied with sections like Sports and Daily Trivia. (Some of these options appear on the Home screen as well, which is redundant.) The one thing I’d like to see on Roku’s Home screen is the “Continue Watching” row, which links to your most recently viewed TV episodes, movies, and live channels. It’s a great feature, but connecting you to what you’re already watching doesn’t help Roku make money on promotions; so, naturally, it’s relegated to the “What to Watch” menu, where you’re unlikely to ever use it. Roku’s “What to Watch” menu is a better home screen than the actual Home section now.Jared Newman / Foundry The upside is that you can still simplify Roku’s menu system with some settings tweaks, and Roku’s software is still fairly simple to use as a whole. Your full app list is never far away, the layout is easy to understand, and the search function works well. Roku’s software also comes with some neat features, such as Apple AirPlay support, private headphone listening via Roku’s mobile app, and a “Photo Streams” feature that lets you set up personal photos as your screensaver. It’s just too bad you must wade through more promotional clutter to enjoy it all. Roku Streaming Stick vs. the rest If we’re strictly comparing the Roku Streaming Stick to Roku’s other streamers, the $40 Streaming Stick Plus offers 4K HDR video support, occasionally faster app launches, and slightly better Wi-Fi connectivity. The $50 Streaming Stick 4K includes Dolby Vision HDR support and much better Wi-Fi at long range from your router. The $100 Roku Ultra improves performance slightly further while adding hardwired ethernet support, a USB port for local media, and a more feature-packed remote (which you can also buy separately to use with other Roku models). Beyond the Roku ecosystem, Walmart’s Onn streamers are compelling alternatives, including the $20 Onn Streaming Box with 4K HDR support. The Google TV software is more complex, but it’s also better at organizing content than Roku, and you get more features for your money. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick HD is in the same price league at $35, but its interface is much more chaotic. Where does that leave the Roku Streaming Stick? It’s a solid option if you like Roku’s software and just want an inexpensive way to add it to any TV, but keep the alternatives in mind if you want better performance, longer Wi-Fi range, or a fresher approach to navigating your streaming services. At a glance: The Roku Streaming Stick (2025) is a cheap way to bring Roku’s smarts to any TV, if you’re willing to make some trade-offs. Further reading: This review in part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best media streaming devices. Read...

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