Elon to change campus television provider

Beginning on March 1, Elon will launch a new television system in campus residence halls, lounges and other common areas.   

Elon’s new campus television service will replace the current Time Warner Cable system, and the system will be available to all students living in campus housing at no charge.

The new system, called Philo, will allow resident students to access television via their computers, tablets or phones anyplace on campus and to timeshift programs with up to 20 hours of DVR recordings. They can also watch channels on their television with an Apple TV or Roku device or an HDMI connection to their laptop computers.

The system includes more than 60 of the most popular cable channels, including major broadcast networks, sports channels, a variety of cable networks and two channels carrying Elon student television productions.

The Philo system was adopted after Elon surveyed students about their viewing habits and preferences for channels. “We found that most students are already watching television services such as Netflix and Hulu on campus and are familiar with using computer systems to access television,” said Christopher Waters, assistant vice president for technology and chief information officer. “The Philo system has been successful at many other universities and worked well during pilot tests we did in several Elon residence halls last year and during fall semester.”

Students can learn how to install and access the Philo apps at www.elon.edu/philo. The system only works on campus with connections to the Elon University wi-fi or wired campus network. The list of Philo TV channels available at Elon is at: https://wiki.elon.edu/display/TECH/Philo+TV+Channel+Lineup