Philo Review - Live TV Streaming Service
Philo
Philo is a live TV streaming service designed for entertainment lovers which includes 44 channels for $16 per month or 57 channels for $20 per month.
You'll get major channels from A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery, Hallmark, Scripps Networks, and Viacom. These include A&E, AMC, BET, Comedy Central, Discovery, HGTV, MTV, Nickelodeon, and more.
If you upgrade to their $20/month plan -- you'll add channels like Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, LOGO, nicktoons, and more.
While it doesn't include any local or sports channels like ESPN, FS1, or NBCSN -- it is the cheapest option for live entertainment-only TV.
$16 Philo Base
- 44 Channels
- Local Channels
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- 18 of Top 35 Cable Channels
- Sports Channels
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philo.com
$20 Philo Plus
- 57 Channels
- Local Channels
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- –
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- 18 of Top 35 Cable Channels
- Sports Channels
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philo.com
Features
• Cloud DVR
Unlimited
30 days
• 3 Device Streams
Watch on up to 3 devices at the same time.
• On Demand
Most channels have on demand content.
• TV Everywhere Apps
App logins provided for up to 32 apps.
- No Parental Controls
Does not have any parental controls.
Tech Specs
HD Video
720p
30 fps
Stereo
Streaming Reliability
Average
On Demand Reliability
Above Average
Live Delay
25 seconds
Channel Switching
4.5 seconds
7-Day Free Trial
Philo offers a 7-day free trial. Your subscription is month-to-month and you can cancel at any time.
Review
We researched Philo and reviewed six other live TV streaming services for more than 100 hours. Philo is compatible with Android, iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch mobile devices, Roku, and from you computer’s browser.
User Experience
- Simple and consistent design across apps to switch from Home, Live, & Saved.
- Channel guide is informative, but feels odd because it lists channels horizontally. Unfortunately, it's not available on mobile.
- Search works well and offers quick access to both live and on demand content.
Home Screen
The Philo app’s home screen gives personalized suggestions of shows to keep watching, those you've saved, and top shows on Philo.
TV Guide
On most platforms, Philo channel guide lists all available channels alphabetically in a grid, but does not include a standard channel guide.
Search
The Philo search interface is very intuitive. Series, episodes, and people appear as you type.
Show Details
The show details page displays episodes currently live, on demand, and upcoming on a future date. You can automatically record future airings by clicking “Save”.
Playback
When you tune into a live channel, Philo takes you to the beginning of the show. You can skip ahead to live, but you may be shown commercials if it's also available on demand.
Features
Unlimited Cloud DVR
Philo has unlimited DVR storage, but you can only keep shows for 30 days. You can only record an entire series, not a single episode.
If you start recording after you tune into a channel, the recording will start from the beginning of the program.
While it's still recording, you can watch from the beginning but you won't be able to fast forward through commercials.
3 streams Simultaneous Viewing
This service allows for three simultaneous streams.
37 apps TV Everywhere
Similar to traditional cable and satellite subscriptions, Philo includes “TV Everywhere” logins for most channels they offer (including Comedy Central, Food Network, HGTV, are more).
Mind the Kids No Parental Controls
There are no parental controls for Philo. Only Hulu and Sling have parental controls.
72-hour Rewind
This feature allows you to watch shows that you didn’t record, for up to three days after it aired. This feature adds a lot of additional shows that aren’t normally available on demand.
Tech Specs
- The service currently offers 720p / 30 fps across all channels.
- Limited buffering or playback issues in our testing.
- Changing channels only takes 4.5 seconds, which was slower than most services.
720p / 30 FPS HD Video
Streams were at 720p at 30 fps.
To reduce playback interruptions, Philo will adapt the stream quality to match your network connection.
Great Connection Reliability
Philo was generally stable for both live and on demand content. We had no issues when streaming content.
Philo recommends at least 5 Mbps for each HD stream.
Stereo Audio
All live TV content has standard stereo audio.
25 SECS Live Delay
Live content is about 25 seconds behind cable TV, which is similar to the other services.
4.5 SECS Channel Switching
It takes about 4.5 seconds to switch between channels, which is slower than most of the other services.
Devices and Apps
Device Compatibility
Philo is compatible with Roku, Android Phone/Tablet, iPhone/iPad, Web Browser, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Android TV.
Philo is not compatible with Google Chromecast, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo.
TV App
Philo has support for Roku, Apple TV, and Fire TV. They don't support Android TV, Chromecast, or AirPlay. While they have a alphabetical grid of currently live shows, they don't have a standard channel guide.
Phone & Tablet Apps
Philo has an iPhone app, but does not currently offer an iPad app (you can use the iPhone app on iPad though). The look and feel mimics their other apps, but there is no standard channel guide.
While on Android, there is not a native app, you can play using Chrome on Android 7.0+. The interface looks similar to a native platform, but feels more sluggish.
Computer
You can watch Philo on Mac and Windows computers using most major browsers. It is the only platform that includes a standard channel guide.
Channels
Top Cable Channels
Philo offers top cable channels from A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery, Scripps Networks, and Viacom.
You get 17 of the top 35 cable channels as part of their base package.
If you upgrade to their $20/month plan -- you'll add channels like Cooking Channel, Destination America, Discovery Family, Discovery Life, LOGO, nicktoons, and more.
The top 35 cable channels are listed below. For a list of all channels, look at Philo’s full channel lineup.
| “Base” | “Plus” | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | |
| $16 | $20 | |
| A&E | • | • |
| AMC | • | • |
| BET | • | • |
| Bravo | - | - |
| Cartoon Network | - | - |
| CNN | - | - |
| Comedy Central | • | • |
| Discovery | • | • |
| Disney Channel | - | - |
| Disney Junior | - | - |
| E! | - | - |
| ESPN | - | - |
| Food Network | • | • |
| Fox News | - | - |
| Freeform | - | - |
| FX | - | - |
| FXX | - | - |
| Hallmark | • | • |
| HGTV | • | • |
| History | • | • |
| Investigation Discovery | • | • |
| Lifetime | • | • |
| MSNBC | - | - |
| MTV | • | • |
| Nickelodeon | • | • |
| Paramount Network | • | • |
| Syfy | - | - |
| TBS | - | - |
| TLC | • | • |
| TNT | - | - |
| Travel Channel | • | • |
| truTV | - | - |
| USA Network | - | - |
| VH1 | • | • |
| WE tv | • | • |
View the Philo full channel lineup for a list of all channels.
Local Channels
Philo doesn’t offer any local channels like ABC, CBS, The CW, Fox, NBC, Telemundo, and Univision.
| “Base” | “Plus” | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | |
| $16 | $20 | |
| ABC | - | - |
| CBS | - | - |
| Fox | - | - |
| NBC | - | - |
| Telemundo | - | - |
| The CW | - | - |
| Univision | - | - |
Sports Channels
National Sports Channels
In order to keep monthly pricing low, Philo doesn’t include access to any national sports channels, regional sports networks, or college or pro networks.
| “Base” | “Plus” | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | |
| $16 | $20 | |
| ESPN | - | - |
| ESPN2 | - | - |
| Fox Sports 1 | - | - |
| Fox Sports 2 | - | - |
| NBC Sports Network | - | - |
| TBS | - | - |
| TNT | - | - |
Regional Sports Networks (RSNs)
Philo doesn’t include access to regional sports networks (RSNs) as part of their service.
| “Base” | “Plus” | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | |
| $16 | $20 | |
| beIN Sports | - | - |
| Eleven Sports | - | - |
| ESPNEWS | - | - |
| Fox Soccer Plus | - | - |
| Golf Channel | - | - |
| Olympic Channel | - | - |
| Tennis Channel | - | - |
Premium Channels
Philo doesn’t currently offer the ability to add premium channels.
| “Base” | “Plus” | |
|---|---|---|
| Free Trial | Free Trial | |
| $16 | $20 | |
| Cinemax | - | - |
| EPIX | - | - |
| HBO | - | - |
| Showtime | - | - |
| Starz | - | - |
