Skip to main content

CES names DISH’s Hopper co-winner, as ‘Best of Show’ scandal continues for CNET

cnet the hopperIn the consumer electronics industry, we tend to be more concerned with kilobytes than Kardashians, but we too have our version of gossip – and this month has provided plenty of it. First, in the wake of  the International Consumer Electronics Show, we learned that the Razer Edge gaming tablet had retroactively been named “Best of Show,” supplanting the initial choice: DISH Hopper with Sling. The news seemed curious, but hardly juicy – until we found out why.

CES’ long-standing partnership with CNET was no secret around the industry, as the latter had been tasked with awarding Best of Show honors every year. Perhaps, lesser-known is the fact that CBS is CNET’s corporate parent. That relationship, however, was recently thrown into the spotlight.

As it turns out, CBS Corp. isn’t the biggest fan of DISH Network at the moment, as it has litigation pending against the company for – among other things – new ad-skipping features on the recently-honored Hopper DVR.

Apparently, CBS was fed up enough over its subsidiary’s decision to award its legal foe, that it ordered CNET to remove DISH’s product from consideration for Best of Show. We then learned that CNET will now refrain from reviewing products manufactured by entities with which CBS is engaged in active litigation. And journalistic integrity takes a hit!

Aside from the time and energy this has cost, and the obvious embarrassment the retraction must be causing, recent developments have only scathed CNET further. Says Karen Chupka, senior vice president, events and conferences for CEA “we are concerned the new review policy will have a negative impact on our brand should we continue the awards relationship as currently constructed.  We look forward to receiving new ideas to recognize the ‘best of the best’ products introduced at the International CES.” In other words: “This isn’t working.” Hence the justification for overruling CNET’s decision (which, remember, was previously overruled by CBS) and naming DISH Network’s Hopper co-winner of the Best of Show award. Still with us?

CNET’s relationship with the CEA isn’t the only one that has soured  from this ordeal either. According to a report by The Hill, Reporter Greg Sandoval, who had covered digital media and copyright issues for CNET for over seven years, resigned in the aftermath of the scandal. He claimed he could “no longer have confidence that CBS is committed to editorial independence.”

It’s difficult to blame him. If the reporting of a news site becomes subject to the whims of a parent company with a vested interest in the success or failure of certain products, it is diminished to the point of propaganda.

We’ll have to wait a few months to see how this plays out, but one thing is clear: it will take quite a few showers for CNET to wash this one away.

Adam Poltrack
Adam is an A/V News Writer for Digital Trends, and is responsible for bringing you the latest advances in A/V…
Tidal vs. Qobuz: Which hi-res music streaming service is for you?
Tidal app showing on iPhone 15 Pro.

Spotify and Apple Music may be the most popular music streaming services in the world, but services like Tidal and Qobuz offer plenty of great features and a higher level of listening to anyone making a switch. Each offers hi-res audio and is available on desktop and mobile devices. Thanks to a recent switch in Tidal subscriptions, the prices between the two services are now very comparable, although one is slightly cheaper.

Below, we compare Tidal and Qobuz based on price, sound quality, and supported devices to determine which platform is better.
Price
For many years, Tidal has stood out for its hi-res music offerings, a feature long shared with Qobuz. However, the landscape has changed, and now other services like Apple Music and Amazon Music (and soon Spotify, hopefully) have also ventured into the hi-res music space.

Read more
OTC hearing aid sale discounts 15 models, from just $80
Bose SoundControl Hearing Aids

If you need a hearing aid, you’re going to love the OTC hearing aid sale going on at Crutchfield right now. Currently, you can buy a pair for as little as just $80 with up to $500 to be saved on select models. With 15 models in the sale, we recommend you click the button below to see what’s on sale for yourself. But you can also read on while we highlight some of our favorite hearing aid deals. Don’t delay as the deals are unlikely to stick around for long.

What to shop for in the Crutchfield hearing aid sale
With some of the best OTC hearing aids including models from Lexie, go straight for the . It’s currently $799 instead of $849. It has a slim, visually discreet profile with a behind-the-ear fit style. A built-in feedback management system helps reduce high-pitched feedback while there’s a noise reduction circuit which decreases the volume of constant background sounds such as vacuum cleaners or A/C units. It also has level-dependent gain and compression which keeps loud noises from becoming too loud during conversations. The app also provides bass and treble controls along with left/right balance adjustments, and directional focus modes. It’s a really well-rounded hearing aid.

Read more
GoldenEar subwoofers are up to $755 off for a limited time
The GoldenEar SuperSub XXL subwoofer in the living room.

Upgrading your home theater setup's sound output is easily achieved by buying from soundbar deals, but if you want extra bass, you'll want to purchase a subwoofer. If you're thinking about it, you may want to checkout Crutchfield's sale on GoldenEar subwoofers with prices that start at $595. These premium subwoofers will give you all the bass that you need for watching streaming shows, epic movies, sports programs, and any other form of content, but you'll have to hurry with your decision on what to buy because these discounts are only available for a limited time.

What to buy in Crutchfield's GoldenEar subwoofers sale
The cheapest option in Crutchfield's GoldenEar subwoofers sale is still pretty powerful -- the GoldenEar ForceField 3, which is an 8-inch subwoofer with digital signal processing and a built-in 500-watt RMS digital amplifier. You'll also get a front-firing 8-inch long-throw woofer and a 9-inch by 11-inch down-firing passive radiator for , for savings of $55 on its original price of $650. You can also take a step up with the GoldenEar ForceField 30, which offers most of the same features but with an updated design with a curved top and metal grills, for instead of $900 following a $155 discount, or the GoldenEar ForceField 40 with a front-firing 10-inch long-throw woofer and an 11-inch by 13-inch down-firing passive radiator for a , down by $205 from $1,200 originally.

Read more