Brown University provides basic channels through our TV/DVR service called Philo. To access the Philo service you must be on campus, connected to the Brown network. This article covers the different options a user has to watch Philo. Additional information about how to use Philo is available on their help site.
Watch on a Computer
- Connect to the wireless network called Brown. Note: VPN will not give you access to Philo when off-campus.
- Visit brown.philo.com
- Click the “Log In with Brown University Login” button on the top right and enter your Brown username and password.
- You're in! Click the Play button on a channel to start watching.
Watch on a Smartphone or Tablet
- Connect to the Brown wireless network.
- Download the Philo Edu app for your smartphone or tablet:
iPhone / iPad App
Android App - After installing, you will be prompted to log in with your Brown username and password.
Watch on a Television
Method 1: Plug Your Computer into the TV
In most cases, you can use a cable to plug your computer into your TV and display whatever's on your computer screen (for example, TV content!) You will need the appropriate cable, and possibly an adapter, depending on the inputs and outputs on your computer and TV.
Check out Best Buy's guide on what's needed to connect your laptop to a TV, which includes pictures of the different adapters.
Method 2: Use a Roku
A Roku is a device costing about $50 that you can plug into your TV to stream content from different services such as Netflix. Rokus are easy to connect to the Brown-Guest network and feature a Philo channel (Philo is the company that provides our IPTV service).
Troubleshoot Issues with Philo Edu
I can't figure out how to watch TV!
If you are successfully connected to the Brown network and your brown user credentials are working, the Philo Edu service has help available at https://philo.zendesk.com/hc/en-us
None of the shows play.
Try a different browser. The Chrome Mac version is now using a HTML5 player, but other browsers may rely on Microsoft Silverlight and it may not install for one reason or another. To see the list of compatible browsers, click the System Requirements tab on the Silverlight installation page, or use Chrome (which doesn't require Silverlight for this product).
Do I need to be in my residence hall to watch?
No! But you do need to be on campus, connected to the wireless network called Brown.
Will it work with VPN?
Sorry, for licensing reasons, you can't use this service over VPN.