One of the main reasons people drop cable TV is to save money. Philo understands that and put together a streaming package with over 60 TV channels like HGTV, AMC, and more for a very low price of $20 per month. Not only does this article cover everything there is to know about Philo, but you can experiment with the various features covered in this article by taking advantage of this free trial. (No credit card required)
What Is Philo?
Philo is a live TV streaming service launched on November 14, 2017, and provides subscribers live TV channels typically found on satellite and cable TV. The TV streaming service has seen rapid subscriber growth in the past year. Philo differentiates itself from other live streaming services by focusing on entertainment channels instead of news and sports channels. You can watch these channels live as they air through the Philo app on supported streaming and smart devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, iOS, Android, and more.
Philo Review Summary
Philo is a quality streaming service that is extremely affordable. While I want to give it 5 stars for streaming quality and affordability, I have to give it 4.5 out of 5 stars due to the lack of some important channels. However, that is how Philo keeps it’s service affordable.
How Much does Philo Cost?
Philo is an affordable $20 per month for 60+ Live TV Channels, a cloud DVR to record your favorite shows, on-demand, and more. Philo keeps costs low by not carrying expensive news and sports channels.
Philo also offers a free trial without having to provide a credit card. Combining Philo with a cheap internet plan can save you a lot of money on cable. The amount of live channels you receive with Philo for the price is the reason Philo preformed so well in the following comparisons:
What’s on Philo
Philo offers over 60 channels in their lineup, including AMC, A&E, HGTV, Hallmark Channel, MTV, and more (see the Full Philo TV Channel Lineup.) However, Philo understands people watch TV by the shows they like, not the channels. Philo’s home screen isn’t arranged by channel, but by the Show. Shows you have saved to record in the cloud DVR are listed in the top row, while recommended, trending, and other topics are in the following rows. If this isn’t the way you want to watch TV, click the “Guide,” and you will see a traditional channel guide. Philo gives you multiple ways to watch the shows you want.
Philo Video and Sound Quality
Philo TV streams in high definition HD video. Live TV streaming on Philo has a video quality up to 720p with on-demand video streaming at up to 1080p. Video quality will adjust depending on your home internet bandwidth. According to Philo support, the following are the recommended speeds as they pertain to video quality:
- 13 Mbps – Recommended for reliable HD streaming, even with multiple streams or other devices using the same network.
- 7 Mbps – Stream one HD video. If multiple devices are streaming or using the network at the same time, there may be buffering issues.
- 3 Mbps – Stream SD quality video.
- Under 3 Mbps – The video quality is reduced. Philo may load slowly or rebuffer.
Philo On-Demand
Philo offers some on-demand. Like cable TV on-demand, each TV Network chooses what shows and episodes are available to Philo On-Demand. Philo does have some on-demand, but it’s limited to what the specific channel offers. In most cases, the current season of popular shows will be available, but that isn’t always the case. See here for more information.
Philo subscribers can also use their Philo username and password to access over 30 TV everywhere apps. Just download the channel’s app and use your Philo login credentials as your TV provider login. That will provide access to on-demand content through various TV apps like A&E, AMC, BBC America, and more. This makes Philo a great way to catch up on shows like Killing Eve.
The following lists TV Everywhere Apps supported by Philo:
- A&E
- American Heroes Channel
- AMC
- Animal Planet
- BBC America
- BET
- Comedy Central
- Cooking Channel
- Destination America
- Discovery Channel
- Discovery Family
- Discovery Life
- DIY Network
- Food Network
- fyi
- Game Show Network
- Hallmark Channel
- HGTV
- History Channel
- IFC
- Investigation Discovery
- Lifetime
- Motor Trend
- MTV
- Nickelodeon
- OWN
- Paramount Network
- Science Channel
- Sundance
- TLC
- Travel Channel
- VH1
- Viceland
- WETV
Philo DVR
Yes. Philo’s $20 price includes a cloud DVR. Philo allows you to record any number of shows and saves each recording for up to 30 days. Storage is unlimited as long as you watch within 30 days of recording the episode. You can also set a series to record, so there isn’t much DVR maintenance with Philo’s cloud DVR. Just be sure to watch your recordings in 30 days.
Pause Live TV with Philo DVR
Philo allows you to pause and rewind live TV. While Philo TV is live, you are watching a recorded copy of the live feed. Due to the way Philo works, you can watch a show within three days of it airing, even if you forgot to mark it to record.
How To Record Shows on Philo
It’s easy to record a show with Philo. Simply follow the steps below:
- Search for the show you wish to record and select the show to view its profile page.
- Select the “RECORD NEW” button to record all upcoming new episodes of the show. Select the “RECORD ALL” button to record all upcoming episodes, even if it is a re-run. A red record icon indicates episodes scheduled to record.
Philo Device Support
You can watch on up to three devices at the same time. Philo is supported on Mac and PC on a web browser, Apple iPhone and iPad (running iOS 9 or newer), Android phones and tablets (running 5.0 or newer). They also support Fire TV, Chromecast, Apple TV, and Roku.
We go into a little more detail on some of the various devices that support Philo in the sections below
Philo on Roku
Yes. Philo supports the following Roku devices: Roku TV, Roku Smart Soundbar, Roku Ultra, Roku Premiere+, Roku Premiere, Roku 4, Roku 3, Roku 2, Roku Express+, Roku Express, Roku Streaming Stick+, Roku Streaming Stick, Roku 1, Roku SE, and Roku LT. You can add the Philo App to your Roku through the “Channel Store” on the device or by adding the channel to your Roku account on the web.
To install the Philo App on your Roku device, follow these steps:
- On the Roku home screen, scroll down and click Search
- Search for “Philo”
- Scroll to the right and select the Philo app, then click “Add Channel”
- Once Philo installs, click “OK” (It will install to your Home Screen)
- Go back to the home screen and open “Philo”
- You can log in with your Philo Account.
Philo on Fire TV and Fire TV Stick
Yes Philo is available on Fire TV devices. To install Philo on your Fire TV follow these steps
- On the Home Screen, go to the search icon on the left side of the menu
- Search for “Philo”
- Select the “Philo” app under Apps and Games and click “Get”
- Philo will install. You can then open it and log in with your Philo Account.
How To Cast Philo to Chromecast
Subscribers can cast from the Philo app to Chromecast devices 2nd generation or later (i.e., firmware 1.42 or higher) using Philo’s Android (Link opens in a new tab)mobile app.
Is Philo on Smart TVs?
Currently, Philo only supports Roku TV and Amazon Fire TV Smart TVs. Philo does not support Samsung Smart TV, VIZIO Smart TV, and LG Smart TV.
Can You Watch Philo on a computer browser?
Yes. You can watch Philo on Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge broswers.
Philo Frequently Asked Questions
Is Philo free?
No. While Philo offers a 1-week free trial, the service costs $20 per month. However, you can try the service for the first 2 days by using a valid phone number. After 2 days, you will have to enter payment information to extend the trial to one week. If you cancel before the 1-week trial ends, you will not receive a bill. You can sign up for the free trial here.
Does Philo have ESPN?
No. Philo does not carry ESPN or any other live sports network. To find a way to watch ESPN check out this article: How To Watch ESPN without Cable.
Does Philo have commercials?
Philo is a live streaming service. Therefore there are commercials just like all other live TV services. However, the Philo DVR does allow you to skip commercials.
How to cancel Philo?
If you are in the first two days of your trial and haven’t given your payment information, then Philo will cancel automatically after the first two days. However, after the first two days, you have to go to your Philo Account Page, then log in. You should see a “Cancel my account” link at the bottom of the page on your account page.
Is there more than one Philo plan?
No. Philo offers one plan that provides 60+ channels online for just $20 per month. Philo previously offered another plan with fewer channels for $16 per month, but that plan is discontinued.
Philo Bottom Line
Philo is a quality streaming service that is extremely affordable. While I want to give it 5 stars for streaming quality and affordability, I have to give it 4.5 out of 5 stars due to the lack of some popular channels. However, that is how Philo keeps it’s service affordable.
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With over 60 live channels including HGTV, AMC, Paramount Channel and more for just $20 per month, Philo TV is one of the best TV provider deals you 'll find online. Try a Free Trial to Philo Now! No credit card required!
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