Philo TV Review: Features Highlight
- Unlimited DVR storage capabilities
- Features up to 63 channels
- Available across multiple devices, including smartphones, tablets, smart TVs, and computers
- Up to three simultaneous streams across different devices on Philo subscription
- A single subscription offers up to 10 customizable profiles
- Easy to set up with a friendly interface on both web and mobile devices
Quite a considerable number of options exist to pick from after “cutting the cord,” Philo happens to be one of them.
Philo is an affordable live TV streaming service that offers multiple channels streaming movies, TV shows, and lifestyle content, popular TV streaming service.
In this Philo review, we dive into details documenting all you need to know about this product.
What is Philo?
Philo (pronounced fi-lo) is one of many live TV streaming services available to users in the US founded in 2009.
It is named after the television inventor Philo Farnsworth. Philo features many live TV channels across multiple domains, including cooking shows, movies, talk shows, entertainment, etc.
As of Q1 2021, the platform did boast over 800,000 subscribers.
On par with its price, one can say Philo isn’t a composite of a formidable live TV, especially when compared to most of its competition.
It is the best choice for users who prefer occasional reality TV shows, news, random movies, and other usual entertainment programs on TV. Philo isn’t for deep sports or News fans.
Philo Review
#User Interface
Web interface
Philo’s web version was created on the tenets of simplicity. It is easy to navigate with sections to help categorize things.
Its prevalent colors are dark and blue and rounded corners for elements. The top menu bar features the Home, Guide, and Save menus.
Home
This is the welcome screen or main screen of this platform. Here, Philo displays top titles, what is currently being aired, and upcoming shows and episodes.
The Home section is further split into genres and categories like Home for the Holidays, Recommendations, Kids, Reality Roundup, True Crime, Food, and much more. It also tracks shows and movies the users haven’t finished in the “Keep Watching” section.
Guide
Here, you can find shows playing live now, what would be played next, and upcoming content as well.
The Guide section is a tad similar to the traditional channel guide. Here you can “favorite” and download new content.
Saved
This section contains recorded files; these are files recorded to Philo’s DVR. Note, Philo’s saved content isn’t available for offline view.
Its DVR storage is more of a VOD (Video On Demand) feature, although you can skip ads here.
It’s advisable to save shows before they air.
Search
The search feature allows you to find the exact channel, show, or episode you need. It’s a big text box at the top of your screen hidden behind the Search menu button.
Mobile interface
Philo is also available on both Android and iOS app stores. The mobile interface is somewhat a dialed-down version of the web interface.
At the bottom of the app is the navigation bar containing the Home, Guide, Top, Saved, Search and Profile account icons.
The Top icon features the hottest and trending shows. The profile account section is limited; to configure it, you need to access its web version.
Philo Features
1. DVR storage
Subscribers get unlimited cloud DVR storage which allows them to save shows from up to 2 weeks ago. YouTube TV, which is way more pricey than Philo, is the only alternative that offers this much.
Sadly, this feature doesn’t provide you with saved shows for offline views.
Only a tiny portion of shows on Philo isn’t compatible with the DVR services. However, the others that support it allow you to skip most ads on the recorded content; ads would always be a part of television programs.
Users can store their recorded or “saved” content for up to a year, an upgrade from 30 days that took effect in June 2021.
2. Multiple streams
Although users can create up to 10 profiles on one Philo account with unique customization and personalized recommendations, simultaneous streaming is limited to up to 3 devices.
3. Channels
Philo offers up to 63 channels that cut across many genres and domains alongside over 50,000 titles and TV shows. Unlike other streaming TVs like Fubo, which is sports-focused, Philo focuses more on lifestyle and entertainment.
Channels on Philo aren’t location restrictive; they are accessible across the US; in other words, it doesn’t offer local channels.
It features channels like AMC, BBC America, Comedy Central, and many others below.
| A&E | A&E | A&E | A&E |
| AccuWeather | AccuWeather | AccuWeather | AccuWeather |
| AMC | AMC | AMC | AMC |
| American Heroes Channel | American Heroes Channel | American Heroes Channel | American Heroes Channel |
| Animal Planet | Animal Planet | Animal Planet | Animal Planet |
| aspireTV | aspireTV | aspireTV | aspireTV |
| AXS TV | AXS TV | AXS TV | AXS TV |
| BBC America | BBC America | BBC America | BBC America |
| BBC World News | BBC World News | BBC World News | BBC World News |
| BET | BET | BET | BET |
| BET Her | BET Her | BET Her | BET Her |
| Cheddar | Cheddar | Cheddar | Cheddar |
| CLEO TV | CLEO TV | CLEO TV | CLEO TV |
| CMT | CMT | CMT | CMT |
| Comedy Central | Comedy Central | Comedy Central | Comedy Central |
| Cooking Channel | Cooking Channel | Cooking Channel | Cooking Channel |
4. Closed captioning
There’s a Closed Captioning (CC) feature on Philo which isn’t completely customizable; you can’t customize its color, size, or position. The close caption figure can be toggled only on a playback screen.
5. Lookback
The lookback feature allows users to watch shows that were aired 72 hours ago. Some of these shows that support the lookback feature enable commercials to be skipped.
Philo Reviews: How much is Philo?
Philo offers only one subscription plan which costs $25, a recent increase from $20 due to the cost of content providers and partners. This price hike also increased the storage duration of its DVR storage.
However, it didn’t add more channels to the 63 currently available.
In addition to the Philo channels, there are add-ons available; Epix and Starz.
- The Epix add-on costs $6 monthly and features Epix, Epix HD, and Epix 2.
- The Starz add-on costs $9 per month and features Starz, Starz Encore, and Starz Kids & Family channels.
During our Philo review, we noticed that besides the $25 base plan, they also offer a seven-day free trial and a referral program. As such, Philo is one of the cheapest live TV services in the US.
Philo Review: Supported Devices
To access Philo, you first need to sign up with your phone number or your email address. A stable internet connection is paramount. Philo can be accessed via popular browsers like Google Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
The freedom to access streaming TVs across multiple platforms is one feature that makes cutting the cord ideal.
You can enjoy Philo from your computer, TV, tablet, and smartphone.
Here’s a list of Philo compatible devices,
- Amazon Fire TV devices
- Android TV
- Apple TV
- Roku devices
- Chromecast with Google TV
- Android phones and tablets
- ioS (Apple) phones and tablets
- Amazon Fire tablets
Philo Pros & Cons
Pros
- Philo TV is affordable.
- Unlimited cloud DVR.
- Ten unique profiles
- Simultaneous streams across multiple devices
- Easy to set up
- User-friendly interface
- Stable mobile application
- Free trial
Cons
- Doesn’t offer local channels.
- Not ideal for sports and news lovers.
- No parental control
Best Philo Alternatives
1. Hulu
Pros
- DVR storage capabilities
- Available on different devices
- New shows are added immediately after they air
- Access to Hulu’s exclusive on-demand content
- Easy-to-navigate interface
- Over 70 channels lineup
Cons
- DVR storage is limited unless upgraded.
- Pricey
Hulu is a popular live TV streaming platform. It offers about 75 channels for $65, which many find pricey.
Hulu is renowned for having content immediately after they are aired. It features shows from ABC, Fox, NBC, and a host of others.
In our Philo vs Hulu comparison, we found that both services offer a 7-days free trial and a $65 plan. Like Netflix and Amazon, Hulu creates original content and shows.
However, these contents aren’t too successful with a lesser production budget, especially when compared to those mentioned above.
Philo vs Hulu – Compared to Hulu, Philo is much more affordable, but it lacks the original content available on the former, somewhat justifying the price.
2. Sling
Pros
- Affordable
- Offers movie rentals
- Subscription services are flexible.
- Offers 50 carefully selected channels
- Cloud DVR storage capabilities
- Offers resources for customization
- Several add-ons are available.
- Offers on-demand TV shows.
Cons
- Lacks local channels
- DVR storage needs improvement.
- Interface is too basic.
- Occasional platform instability
Sling is an affordable streaming TV that offers three packages to pick from.
It has a starting price of $30 and plans reaching $50; Sling Orange ($35), Sling Blue ($35), Sling Orange + Blue ($50). Across its different plans, you will find channels like CNN, History, TNT, FOX, NBC, ESPN, Disney; most channels are plan exclusive.
There’s also a prevalent topic on “Philo vs Sling.” Picking between the two falls to choice and how much you are willing to spend.
Conclusion
We’ve come to the end of our Philo review. From this article, we can deduce that Philo TV is a superb option after you cut the cord. Although it won’t give you everything other pricey streaming TVs offer, you’ll still be getting your money’s worth.
Philo TV offers unlimited DVR storage, which is one of the best among its alternatives. It is affordable and makes available add-ons at an affordable price.
It doesn’t have many local channels or channels related to news and sports; Philo TV is still an entertainment and lifestyle powerhouse. Share below what you think about Philo TV.
FAQs
Q. Is Philo a good streaming service?
Yes, it is. Philo offers about 63 channels that are accompanied by over 50,000 exciting shows and movies. These channels are more lifestyle and entertainment-focused than sports and news. Philo is one of the most affordable streaming TVs available while offering one of the best DVR capabilities in the market.
Q. Is Philo or Sling better?
Like we noted above, the Philo vs. Sling debate isn’t going anytime soon. Both platforms have many channels to pick from, with Sling listing 50 while Philo, 63. Philo offers just one plan at $25 with an unlimited cloud DVR storage; Sling, on the other hand, has three plans with a base price of $35 and reaches $50.
Philo has an easy-to-use interface alongside a similar stable mobile app. Sling’s interface has been reported to be too basic. A few users have called it out for brief instability. Both platforms are poor on local channels, although Sling has a few. Philo is more of a lifestyle and entertainment TV; Sling covers many domains.Â
Q. Is Philo worth the price?
Yes, it is; few TVs that are this affordable. With the number of channels Philo offers, alongside its unlimited storage space, and ability to save contents that are up to two weeks old, spending $25 is a smart buy.
