Hey there! I’m Jared Newman, and this is Cord Cutter Weekly, my newsletter on how to save money on TV and make the most of streaming. Sign up here if someone shared this newsletter with you.

Dolby Vision 2: I get it now

Jared Newman   |   January 16, 2026

When Dolby first announced Dolby Vision 2 last September, I didn’t really get it.

The original Dolby Vision was easy to understand: If your TV and streaming content supported it, you’d get a brighter picture with more color detail, particularly in shadows and highlights. I remember being blown away by the technology when it first debuted at CES 2014, especially compared to the 4K displays and curved panels that TV makers were hyping up at the time.

The improvements with Dolby Vision 2 aren’t as straightforward. While Dolby’s initial press release uses all kinds of jargon to describe the new format (with terms like “Content Intelligence” and “Authentic Motion”), the tangible benefits are tougher to parse.

Fortunately, CES 2026 provided an opportunity to see Dolby Vision 2 up close, compare it with the original Dolby Vision, and get some questions answered. While Dolby Vision 2’s benefits are a bit murkier, they at least address some annoyances with streaming video today.

Read the full column →

Weekly rewind

FanDuel Sports Network update: Main Street Sports Group is still trying to keep the lights on for its regional sports networks after nine MLB teams cancelled their rights deals last week. According to Sports Business Journal, the teams want new deals that guarantee financing for next season, and have given Main Street until the end of this month to deliver.

What happens next will ultimately decide how local teams get distributed in the year ahead. Sticking with FanDuel would give the teams guaranteed revenue (assuming Main Street can actually make good on payments), but walking away would bring MLB closer to offering the national, blackout-free streaming service it’s always wanted. (It would also provide a better streaming experience, as many teams would likely distribute their games through the MLB app instead of the subpar FanDuel Sports Network app.)

Free over-the-air TV in Boston: LocalTV+ is an app for iOS and Android that streams live, local broadcast channels for free, including all the major ones. It first launched last spring, but I only found out about it recently (thanks, Chris B.!), and it picked up some local media coverage last week during a carriage dispute between Verizon and Fox.

LocalTV+ is a non-profit that appears to be following a similar playbook to Locast, retransmitting local channels without broadcasters’ permission. But its operators appear to be avoiding the things that got Locast sued into oblivion four years ago, namely requiring donations for full access and using revenues to expand into new markets. I’m not sure that’ll stop broadcasters from suing if the service gets too big, but I’m glad someone’s taking another shot at the idea.

More catch-up

Save more money

This section of the newsletter has some affiliate links, which earn me a commission if you wind up buying or subscribing to something.

Disney is offering a modest discount on its bundle of Disney+ and Hulu (with ads). Get your first month for $10, down from the usual $13. Not a great deal given that the combo cost $5 per month for a full year over Black Friday, but better than nothing, I guess.

Other notable deals:

As always, I keep a list of up-to-date deals, bundles, and wireless carrier freebies on this page.

Come tour CES with me

After spending last week running around Las Vegas for the CES trade show, I put together an exclusive tour of everything I saw for Advisorator members, plus some thoughts on what the next year in gadgets will bring.

Thanks for reading!

Got cord cutting questions? Let me know!

Until next week,
Jared