TV-maker Vizio and documentary streaming service CuriosityStream have joined forces to turn American living rooms into knowledge showcases.
CuriosityStream’s Chief Distribution Officer Clint Stinchcomb explained the move. “Ease of use is a key reason viewers are gravitating to smart TVs, and the VIZIO SmartCast TV platform excels at giving consumers direct access to the entertainment they want, all in one place.”
CuriosityStream’s app is now part of the Vizio SmartCast system. That means any Vizio P-series, M-series or E-series television made from 2016 on can get CuriosityStream’s unique content.
Feed Your Curiosity
CuriosityStream was founded by Discovery Channel creator John Hendricks. Hendricks felt an on-demand streaming service could offer the kind of documentaries that commercial TV can’t produce anymore.
Documentaries are also great ways to show off a 4K Ultra-HD television. Spectacular images of lush jungles, sea creatures and foreign lands pop off the screen.
As we found in our review, CuriosityStream’s library includes several intriguing exclusives. Among them, the Emmy Award-nominated documentary David Attenborough’s Light on Earth. The producers used innovative camera technology to reveal the nighttime world of bioluminescence. Seriously, you have to watch it.
A new addition to CuriosityStream’s exclusive content is Scanning the Pyramids. The documentary follows archaeologists using cosmic rays to explore the Great Pyramid of Giza. You may have seen a version of this on public television. CuriosityStream’s exclusive expanded version is twice as long and is available in 4K Ultra-HD.
CuriosityStream subscriptions start at $3 per month. Access to 4K content requires a $12 per month subscription. CuriosityStream also has 4K-capable apps for the Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, and Roku platforms.
Update: A CuriosityStream representative reached out to us after publication to clarify the new app’s support for 4K. It will not be available immediately but 4K support is in the works.
Chris Casper is a former tech industry product manager who escaped from California for New Mexico. Now he writes about science and tech while searching for the perfect green chile sauce.
