Twenty years ago, the prospect of watching content on a device other than a TV wasn’t even a thought. But, as technology and the Internet continue to evolve, so does our ability to enjoy more entertainment convenience and flexibility. The great thing about most streaming services is that they offer a much wider variety of channels to choose. This is compared to what you’d get with cable. But, they require a monthly subscription and you have to pay for Internet as well, which works out to be the same as paying for cable.
A revolutionary new TV streaming service called Philo is looking to change this. What is Philo? Although it has been around for a few years, not much is known about Philo because it was limited to Roku users for a long time. But, it has recently been optimized for Android TV and Apple TV devices to make it more accessible.
Read on to find out more about Philo and why you should consider it to enhance your streaming box.
What is Philo?
Philo is often compared to Live TV, DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue, Sling Tv and Hulu. While it works similarly to these services on the backend, its offers are a completely different kettle of fish. Philo is not a substitute for a cable subscription per se because it only provides a limited number of channels in comparison. It’s also worth noting that the subscription price for Philo has increased to $20 since it first launched.
The closest thing to Philo available on the market right now is the AT&T WatchTV service which costs $15. But, you get what you pay for because Philo offers a wider array of channels in comparison to AT&T WatchTV.
Oftentimes, the best way to choose an option out of all these is by considering your needs. What do you like to watch? What are your favorite channels? That’ll ultimately guide your decision-making process.
Features
As you’ve seen, Philo has numerous streaming channels to choose from, which come with 25,000 on-demand titles as well. You can record as much of the content as you like within 30 days of the original broadcast date.
Another important feature to think about when you’re looking for the ultimate streaming service is the number of devices that can use the service at once. With Philo, you can stream content from three different devices at the same time without disrupting anyone’s viewing experience.
How does Philo fare in this regard in comparison with its competitors? Well, Sling TV allows you to stream content from up to 4 devices; DirectTV Now allows 2 while PlayStation Vue offers 5 simultaneous streams. The only snag with Philo is that it doesn’t provide profiles yet which means you’ll view the same history and saved programming no matter what device you’re watching from.
Channels and Price
So, what is Philo and how much does it cost? When it was first introduced, Philo came with two packages, a 45-channel option for $16 and a 58-channel setup for $20. But, if you look on their website, you’ll find that Philo got rid of the cheaper package and only offers the $20 option. But, early adopters are allowed to stay on the $16 package.
Nevertheless, Philo is still an affordable streaming service when compared to competitors like Sling TV whose subscription packages start at $25.
It’s worth noting here that Philo doesn’t have a lot of heavy hitters in its lineup. For instance, you won’t find channels like ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox. But, then again you could always find other ways to catch your local newscast and sports shows. At least, Philo offers to-the-minute live recaps of popular shows like The Daily Show and The Walking Dead.
Viewing Experience
What we love about Philo is that it allows you to enjoy high-quality streaming on pretty much every platform it supports. In our experience, there’s no lag in picture quality no matter what type of device or platform you use. We tested it on DirecTV, Sling TV and PlayStation Vue and didn’t notice any discrepancies or drop in quality.
You’ll also find that the interface is the same no matter what platform you’re streaming from so you can jump from one show to the other without compromising the viewing quality. However, you can only access a traditional channel guide if you go to the website but it’s not available on the individual platforms themselves. But, this wasn’t a deal breaker for us during testing because the guide is a bit confusing and difficult to navigate anyway so it’s better to enjoy the main interface for what it is.
Supported Devices
When Philo first came onto the scene, you could only stream it on Roku devices. That’s because Philo developers had a hard time offering support for other devices. As a result, you could only stream it through a Roku TV streaming stick or streaming box. However, this is no longer the case. Now you can stream Philo through all the popular devices, including Fire TV Cube, Amazon Fire TV devices and even Apple TV. Philo even has an Android TV optimized app that’s made specifically for Android users.
The Philo app is available for Android and iOS devices alike, although the latter is only compatible with iPhone devices. Meanwhile, Android users can only watch Philo streams through the Chrome web browser.
Conclusion
Nowadays, it’s becoming increasingly hard to find the perfect streaming service because there are so many options to choose from. What makes it more difficult is trying to find one at an affordable price. Philo is one of the few options available which combines price and value perfectly.
If we were to answer the question, what is Philo in a short and concise manner we’d say, it’s an affordable streaming service that comes with a decent amount of channels. It may not offer the widest variety but you get a lot of bang for your buck.
Did this article answer the question; what is Philo? If so, let us know in the comments section below. Also let us know if you have any question!
