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Philo Rating
Philo Review 2020
Philo (R) is an online streaming video service. Philo started as a service that offered streaming channels on college campuses but is now available to everyone. The company was founded by Harvard Unversity and includes investors such as HBO, Facebook co-founder Andrew McCollum, and Mark Cuban. Philo is a no-contract live TV streaming service that delivers live television through your internet connection to devices such as computers, tablets, smartphones, or streaming devices. It requires no installation, there are no extra fees, and you can cancel anytime.
Philo is arguably one of the best streaming services available. Philo is a little different than most streaming services because it does not offer sports channels or local channels. Due to this, the price of the service is incredibly inexpensive and affordable. Philo is compatible with Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch mobile devices, Roku, and from your computer’s browser. This means you can watch Philo at home or on-the-go.
Philo Packages and Pricing
Unfortunately, subscribers only have one option for the pricing plan: Philo. Additionally, Philo does not offer any add-on packages. The Philo package costs $20/month. This plan includes live streaming TV and on-demand tv shows with the unlimited DVR.
| Package Type | Monthly Price | Channels | Simultaneous Streams |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philo |
Philo Channel Line-up
The Philo plan contains 59 different channels. Philo does not offer any sports or local channels and caters specifically to the entertainment and lifestyle cord-cutters. Here is a list of channels offered by Philo.
- A&E
- AMC
- AMERICAN HEROES CHANNEL
- ANIMAL PLANET
- ASPIRETV
- AXS TV
- BBC AMERICA
- BBC WORLD NEWS
- BET
- BET HER
- CHEDDAR BUSINESS
- CHEDDAR NEWS
- CLEO TV
- CMT
- COMEDY CENTRAL
- COOKING CHANNEL
- DESTINATION AMERICA
- DISCOVERY CHANNEL
- DISCOVERY FAMILY
- DISCOVERY LIFE
- DIY NETWORK
- FOOD NETWORK
- FYI
- GAME SHOW NETWORK
- GREAT AMERICAN COUNTRY
- HALLMARK CHANNEL
- HALLMARK DRAMA
- HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES
- HGTV
- HISTORY
- IFC
- INVESTIGATION DISCOVERY
- LAW&CRIME
- LIFETIME
- LIFETIME MOVIES
- LOGO
- MOTOR TREND
- MTV
- MTV CLASSIC
- MTV LIVE
- MTV2
- NICK JR.
- NICKELODEON
- NICKTOONS
- OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK
- PARAMOUNT NETWORK
- PEOPLETV
- REVOLT
- SCIENCE CHANNEL
- SUNDANCE TV
- TASTEMADE
- TEENNICK
- TLC
- TRAVEL CHANNEL
- TV LAND
- UPTV
- VH1
- VICE
- WE TV
Devices Compatible With Philo
Philo is supported by a wide array of devices leaving subscribers with many options. Users have the flexibility to watch their favorite shows and movies in a variety of different ways such as at home on your television or on your phone while you’re on the go. However, compared to other services Philo may be a little lacking. For example, the only way to watch on TV without using smartphone mirroring is with a Roku (which we highly recommend anyway) and there is no native Android app, you must use Chrome. Philo is not compatible with Google Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, and Nintendo Switch.
The following are supported devices:
- Roku: All current models
- Fire TV: All models
- Apple TV: 4th generation or later
- Android TV: 5.0 or higher. The device must be certified by Google, i.e. officially approved to use the Play Store
- PC: Using a supported browser
- Mac: Using a supported browser
- Android: OS 5.0 or higher using our mobile app
- iOS: Using the Philo mobile app. You can also use Safari, Chrome, or Firefox on your iOS device to manage your account and settings
- Fire Tablet: OS 5.0 or higher
Philo TV Features and Information
Streams
Philo gives you three simultaneous streams at one time across multiple devices. Once the fourth stream starts the oldest stream will cease playing. Some streaming services require an additional fee for more than one stream so this is an above-average benefit.
DVR
Philo offers a free, unlimited cloud DVR storage. There are some limitations such as you are only allowed to keep a show for 30 days and you cannot record single episodes, only the entire series. Also, if you start recording after you tune into a channel the recording will start from the beginning of the program. Most other services will charge an additional fee for cloud DVR and most services are not unlimited making this one of the best DVR benefits available vs other streaming services.
Features
Additional features include access to 33 different “TV Everywhere” channel apps such as Comedy Central, Food Network, HGTV, and more. Another great feature includes 72-hour rewind which allows subscribers to watch shows that you didn’t record for up to 72-hours after the show has aired.
Technical Information
Philo has a very stable connection reliability. The service recommends 5 Mbps for each HD stream. Streams are delivered in 720p at 30 fps. This is not as clear as some other services but is more than acceptable considering its non-sports programming. All audio is in standard stereo audio. There is a 25-second delay behind cable TV. It takes about 4.5 seconds to channel switch making it a little slower than most TV viewers are used to.
