Philo Review

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Review

We tested Philo and other live TV streaming services for more than 100 hours. Philo is compatible with Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Google Chromecast, Roku, Android TV, iPhone/iPad, Android Phone/Tablet, Mac, Windows, Sony Smart TV, and VIZIO Smart TV.

Features

Unlimited Cloud DVR

Philo has Unlimited DVR storage, which lets you keep shows for 12 months. Those grandfathered on their legacy plans ($16 or $20 a month), will have their recordings stored 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.

Up to 3 Devices

Philo allows you to stream on up to 3 devices simultaneously.

33 TV Everywhere Apps

Philo gives you access to 33 different TV Everywhere apps.

List of Compatible Apps

On Demand

There is a variety of on demand content to stream within the Philo app.

No Parental Controls

There are no parental controls for Philo.

Only DIRECTV STREAM, Hulu Live TV, and Sling TV have parental control features.

72-hour Rewind Feature

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.

Compatible Devices

Philo is compatible with these devices:

Philo is not compatible with PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, LG Smart TV, or Samsung Smart TV devices.

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.

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.

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

Local Channels

Philo doesn’t offer any local channels like ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, Telemundo, The CW or Univision.

Philo

$25

~~ABC~~
~~CBS~~
~~Fox~~
~~NBC~~
~~Telemundo~~
~~The CW~~
~~Univision~~

Top Cable Channels

Philo offers top cable channels from A&E Networks, AMC Networks, Discovery, and ViacomCBS.

You get 18 of the top 35 cable channels.

The top 35 cable channels are listed below. For a list of all channels, look at Philo’s full channel lineup.

Philo

$25

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.

Regional Sports Networks (RSNs)

Philo doesn’t include access to regional sports networks (RSNs) as part of their service.

Philo

$25

~~Regional Sports Networks (RSNs)~~

RSNs in Other Markets

Philo

$25

Premium Channels

You can add STARZ ($9) and Epix ($5) to your Philo account.

Philo

$25

Add-Ons

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.

1080p

720p

720p HD

Most video streams are in 720p HD.

30 FPS

60 FPS

30 FPS

Video streams in 30 FPS.

Stereo Sound

Stereo Sound

Content has stereo audio.

Live Streaming Reliability

On Demand Reliability

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.

25 sec
Live Delay

Live Delay

Live content is about 25 seconds behind cable TV, which is similar to the other services.

4.5 sec
Channel Switching

Channel Switching

It takes about 4.5 seconds to switch between channels, which is slower than most of the other services.

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.