I hate the treadmill – but I still use it when the weather is just too nasty. And, even more recently, I used it despite some nice weather just to do some comparison testing for the Microsoft Band's treadmill tracking capabilities.
But, even though we call it the "dreadmill" I have concocted a way to make it a little less burdensome. I erected a shelf that sits in front of the belted demon where I sit my Surface Pro 3 and stream movies and TV from Netflix, HuluPlus, Amazon Prime, Crackle and others. If I can get caught up in a flick, the treadmill miles melt away.
I'm also a huge boxing fan, and have found that old boxing matches (Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Leonard, Larry Holmes and others) work even better to envelop my thoughts and keep me from continually checking the mileage. A full 15-round boxing match lasts a little over an hour and 15 minutes, and one where there's a knockout in the mid rounds lasts a little over 45 minutes. My energy level and available time for the day determines which type I watch.
YouTube is full of these old, beloved boxing matches, and when I first started watching them I attempted to use a couple Windows store apps to manage my YouTube playlists and stream the fights. I found out quickly that there's a huge number of YouTube apps for Windows 8.1, and none of them are great. There are a couple notable ones like Hyper for YouTube, Prime Tube, and Metro Tube, but they all have their quirks. One of the more glaring and annoying quirks is how each seems to stutter video during the stream. I eventually gave up on all of them and resorted to just streaming YouTube directly from the web site through a web browser.
But, a new app, Tubecast Pro, has found its way into my good graces recently. Tubecast Pro seems to have mastered the fluid stream that plagued the others. The interface is amazing and it offers something I've not seen before in a YouTube app – it offers remote casting for YouTube content for Chromecast, AirPlay, and any DNLA-supported device including a SmartTV, Xbox One, and Xbox 360. Additionally, and like many of the other YouTube apps, Tubecast Pro supports downloading of YouTube videos for watching offline. You'd be surprised the types of content that is available on YouTube and I've been using it more recently to supply offline video for long flights instead of Xbox Video purchases.
Watching YouTube videos through a web browser is OK, but I much prefer a dedicated app.
Tubecast Pro is available for both Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone, and supports the universal purchase system, i.e., if you purchase it once, it's yours to install on all your devices.
For Windows 8.1: Tubecast Pro
For Windows Phone: Tubecast Pro
Tubecast Pro is $1.99.
