PH TV Streaming
Tried this for a while but abandoned it eventually. I was able to get a free subscription from it via Globe but never returned. Customer service is supposed to be good, they did reply as soon as I reported an issue but it wasn't resolved until my sub was over. Said issue was the weird subs that was in Community (TV Series) that was often wrong. One episode even had Spanish subs on it! There are also shows that are horrible to watch, it jumps and sometimes look corrupted it felt like you're watching on a pirated CD. I didn't get to see all of these corrected last time so I might be wrong as of writing.
Price: 149/month
Watch for: American TV Series (Community, Powerless) and Pinoy Shows
Iflix
Been a customer for more than 6 months but have not paid a single cent to date. I just kept on purchasing my rewards from Grab. They have some titles that are also available in Netflix like Brooklyn Nine Nine, My Hero Academia, The Good Place, 12 Monkeys, Once Upon a Time among others. A good reason to keep them is how they have an active list for local and other Asian TV Series and Movies that you could never find in Netflix. They also release Pinoy Indies which I hope would get more extensive as years go by. One con is that you could not share your account with anyone else.
Price: 129/month or 2100 Grab Reward Points (for 6 months)
Watch for: Diverse Asian TV Shows and Movies (Pinoy TV Soaps, Kdrama, Anime) and Channels (GMA, ABS CBN, ABC, Discovery, History, TLC, etc.)
Netflix
The most cast-friendly of what I've tried so far and really good for binge watching for a while. I said a while because I noticed that the longer I watch the harder it is to pause / stop a show because the app automatically closes on my end. It still plays on my TV but I could not see where the pause / play buttons anymore. I don't know if it's an Android issue or it's just my phone though so it might be an isolated problem.
Their list is good but they are more focused in producing originals because I could go on weeks without selecting a non-Netflix produced show. I particularly love their Sci-Fi offerings, but Comedy standups not so much. Majority of them are such a huge miss.
One of the things I really appreciate them doing is perfecting the interface because it's easy to search the ones I used to play. It would be amazing though if we could choose to bump off shows we're not interested in or have already watched but still being recommended anyway. The subs both on app and via TV are excellent as well.
Price: 460/month via Globe (was able to get more than 6 months free from them too)
Watch for: Netflix Originals (Stranger Things, Dark, Bright, 3%, Riverdale, Bojack Horseman, Sense 8, etc.)
Fox +
I'm currently under a free subscription and I have not yet decided if I'm willing to pay for the service. Their list is really good since they have the most shows I really hoped Netflix had. I could see myself going on for days binge watching BUT casting and interface is dreadful. The interface is a bit hard to navigate to, you had to click My Profile > My List first before going back to shows you are currently watching. Casting via IOS is OK but NO matter what I do, the subs doesn't show. Almost the same issue is encountered in Android that most times I had to switch back and forth to different languages just to get the English sub to work. Binge watching is terrible too, it works intermittently but mostly I had to search back to which episode I was last on and play it via the app. I hope they fix it soon because the potential is definitely there.
Price: 249/month
Watch for: Popular TV Series and Movies (The Walking Dead, Modern Family, Family Guy, Masterchef, WWE, NGC Shows, Fox Movies, etc.)
Disney Life
Got this subscription for free. I realized I've already watched most of the movies they currently offer not to mention that most of them are readily available in other streaming apps already. They do have some series exclusive but most are either for kids or for teens. The interface is good but subs are non existent on the shows I tried (On the Woods, Duck Tales). There is no toggle to remove nor any option to change to another language. They also offer albums of their shows but Spotify is already good enough for that. Casting via Chromecast is good albeit the sounds are a bit inaudible even if my TV is already at it's max.
Price: 149/month
Watch for: Marvel, Disney classics.
Amazon Prime
The interface is well thought. This is the only app where you get IMDB details when a still is paused, showing all the actors on it and the preferences on the size of downloaded vids. The app also has an option to download an entire season if you wish. Subs are also good, even language can be changed like in Netflix. What I find odd though is that their genres are a bit odd, I mean why is there no Scifi genre? More so, I hope there's an option to choose a genre without scrolling their entire list on which group I fancy.
Downloads are great, they don't expire like in Netflix and has good app intuition whenever I switch devices it still knows where I am currently at on a show I am watching.
As for shows, not only do they have must watch TV not found in Netflix (The Office, Parks and Rec, Psych, Community) but they have tons of shows you cannot find anywhere and not just Originals (Electric Dreams, American Gods). I mean just look at their Anime list, I have not heard any of those!
Update:
You can now cast it via Chromecast!!
Price: 150/month via Globe Plan
HBO GO (Old Version)
If you wish to see the review for the LATEST version, SCROLL DOWN BELOW.
Probably the most frustrating streaming app to get into, this is somewhat "free" but with a condition: you need to be a Sky Subscriber with the HBO Pak bundle. I tried this some years back and was only successful to enroll last week.
Currently you could only add shows as Watchlist. You had to click on said link to check what you've listed, same as with Downloads which are only available for 30 days and ticks down until you redownload it again. My qualms with their app is that the download icon kept on animating even though no downloads are happening in the first place. I even had to restart my phone to stop said animation!
No issues so far found when casting via Chromecast, subtitles are good, audio is clear, video is crisp. But I noticed that on my Android, the controls in Pause / Play / Stop is not fully integrated on the status bar, rare times it's there, most of the time it isn't. I haven't binge watched anything yet here so I don't know if it has the same thing with Netflix that pauses after a long while of letting it play on it's own.
The content is really good especially that HBO have a good lineup of well known series. I have not yet seen if they expire as some movies do, but I highly doubt I could run out of things to watch! I have a lot of catching up to do especially the classic ones I have missed.
Also another good thing with this app is even if I'm in the Philippines, once they drop a show in the U.S., it is also released on my local time! This is most especially important since I could already watch the last episodes of Game of Thrones during lunch with no need to wait at 10 PM.
Price: Somewhat free (bundled in Sky Cable subscription)
HBO GO (Old Version)
If you wish to see the review for the LATEST version, SCROLL DOWN BELOW.
Currently you could only add shows as Watchlist. You had to click on said link to check what you've listed, same as with Downloads which are only available for 30 days and ticks down until you redownload it again. My qualms with their app is that the download icon kept on animating even though no downloads are happening in the first place. I even had to restart my phone to stop said animation!
The content is really good especially that HBO have a good lineup of well known series. I have not yet seen if they expire as some movies do, but I highly doubt I could run out of things to watch! I have a lot of catching up to do especially the classic ones I have missed.
Also another good thing with this app is even if I'm in the Philippines, once they drop a show in the U.S., it is also released on my local time! This is most especially important since I could already watch the last episodes of Game of Thrones during lunch with no need to wait at 10 PM.
Price: Somewhat free (bundled in Sky Cable subscription)
HBO GO (late 2019)
Even though this update is long overdue, I was able to subscribe to the new HBO GO quite early when I accidentally found it again and is now available for subscription. I was ecstatic that I paid for it as soon as the 7 day trial is over.
Random feature is good if you aren't sure what to watch. Although that particular movie above? Nope.
I am so glad that they eventually gave in to the paid streaming service instead of being tied up with local cable. There's just so much to see, even though GOT is over. There are already original shows I've added to my list and I bet would grow over time.
One of the biggest factors why one would subscribe with HBO Go is how it mirrors ALL HBO channels for viewing. There are some shows ready for download BUT, even if it isn't there are some that for as long as it's dated today, you can still watch even when it's already passed. Best of all too is that SUBS here do exist. You don't have that on TV.
Price: 149!! For that price, it's crazy if you won't get it!
Apple TV
In purchasing a new device with Apple you would automatically qualify for a year of subscription to Apple TV. It was a good surprise, I only learned about when I was playing around with the new Ipad. I was amazed. Why would Apple be so generous with this offer? I mean HBO would only allow you 7 days of trial, so why?
I only had to spend a few minutes to get it. You see, the only reason why streaming services thrive obviously is because of content. It's always a battle and a nice balance of buying rights to stream well loved shows plus originals only they can get in your service. This is the same thing with Apple TV only with a few steps.
Since they are still technically a baby, there are just a handful of available shows. You can breeze through their entire originals and you still have quarantine days left**.
I have only watched two shows so far, The Morning Show (3 EPs) and See (1 EP) and have not gone back to it yet this year. A major reason would have to be is it's because it's incompatible with streaming via Chromecast. I can cast from the Ipad fine with Amazon Prime, Netflix, HBO Go, but not with Apple TV. I don't know why they didn't involve Google with this because it's really inconvenient to connect to a non Apple product. Sure everything really looks fine from the app, but I would really love it if I can cast it on TV.
Their movie list is awesome. They always get the new ones but with a huge downer. You have to buy or rent it. It's not enough that you're paying for subscriptions, you have to pay to watch their good ones too. Which is why as of date I haven't opened the app again yet. Maybe I should finish a few episodes from their originals, which I hope I have the time to do so before the time is up. Personally, not being able to cast, barely enough shows to keep me interested, nah, I'd rather pay subs elsewhere. I mean come on. I watched Tag at HBO Go free whereas in Apple TV you got to buy it for 599.
Price: Free 1st year for newly purchased products, 249/month if you want to subscribe.
Updates:
10.30.18 - Added Disney life
01.24.19 - Added Amazon Prime Video
04.29.19 - Added HBO Go
01.26.20 - Modified HBO Go
04.03.20 - Added Apple TV
**Yes, I'm writing this from the future. I am literally sifting through my saved photos hoping to get the old screenshots I made for this months delayed update. I could just make new screenshots but I'm too lazy to do it. P.S. If you're reading this FROM THE FUTURE, understand that this moment in time everyone was under quarantine due to Covid-19.
10.30.18 - Added Disney life
01.24.19 - Added Amazon Prime Video
04.29.19 - Added HBO Go
01.26.20 - Modified HBO Go
04.03.20 - Added Apple TV
**Yes, I'm writing this from the future. I am literally sifting through my saved photos hoping to get the old screenshots I made for this months delayed update. I could just make new screenshots but I'm too lazy to do it. P.S. If you're reading this FROM THE FUTURE, understand that this moment in time everyone was under quarantine due to Covid-19.
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