Question About Video Streaming
 

Okay, I know this sounds crazy. But I'm fully serious. There is a show on cable TV every night at 6pm ("Cramer's Mad Money") which I want to watch in real time. However, I work the second shift in my office so I am always behind my desk at 6pm.

Therefore, I want to find a way to stream the video (and audio if possible) from my TV at home to my PC at work. I know there must be a way to do this. The show is on cable so I can't just set up a regular TV with rabbit ears in my cube. I have a PC at home running Win2000 attached to a cable modem.

So what is the best method? I'm sure if anybody can figure this out, it is the Pelican Brain Trust. :D

Your cable modem isn't gonna cut it. Why do you need to watch it in real time?

My DVR Dish has changed the way I watch TV. You need to adjust.

Here are a few possibilities:

Appliance made specifically for this purpose: http://www.slingmedia.com/slingbox/

Service...not sure about how kosher though: http://www.inklineglobal.com/adsales/google/tvo_offer_psb_us_restart_0.html?mcp=US

Or get a cell phone with live TV feed capabilities. I understand you can port the Audio/video over to a PC on some models.

Cramer pumps stocks on his show and I have made some decent money by buying those stocks in after hours trading and selling them immediately when the market opens on the next day as his viewers flood the market with buy orders. Apparently, his viewers aren't sophisticated enough to use after hours trading (or limit orders for that matter). So it is a bit like pennies from heavan. I made $333 this morning before I got to the office using that strategy.

That said, some of his viewers do understand after hours trading. So I am having trouble getting in at the best price. I could make much more money if I could make my trades closer to the time he mentions the stock. Hence my desire to see the show in real time.

So I don't need top quality video. I just need to be able to see the tickers and maybe hear his comments. Even a low tech web cam might work. But I've never had a web cam so I am a bit clueless. Despite my career in computer programming, I'm barely able to download pictures from my digicam to my hard drive. SO I am way behind the times.

PERFECT! Thanks! I knew I had come to the right place to ask my question. At just $209, that unit cost less than the money I made today from my latest "Cramer" trade. And this from the same guy who got me my FREE TIVO. RickM, I owe ya man. SmileWavy

Janus, just let us know how it works.....and Cramer rocks!

UPDATE: 01/18/2006 Last night Cramer pumped a stock called TEVA. So this morning I entered an order to sell short 690 shares at the opening bell. The order was filled at $43.38 at 9:30am (63 cents above the previous close). Three minutes later I bought to cover at $43.2255. Total gain after broker fees was $83.71. The stock eventually plummeted to $42.80 but I (literally) fat fingered the “buy to cover” order and sold out early. D’Oh! Obviously some people should not be allowed to trade without adult supervision. Had I typed the order correctly, I could have made $400. That said, $83 for three minutes of “work” is hard to beat. Stay tuned.

Oh yeah, I should explain what all of that means. I discovered that buying in the after hours is too hard. The prices are way too volitile. So I decided instead to try selling short at the open. Today was my first attempt.

RickM: Since you asked, I'm posting updates. If this gets boring, let me know and I'll stop.

01/19/2006 Last night Cramer pumped a stock called SKS (Sachs). So this morning I entered an order to sell short 3157 shares at the opening bell. The order was filled at $19.00 at 9:30am (97 cents above the previous close). At 10am I bought to cover at $18.95. Total gain after broker fees was $121.20. WooHoo! Free money! Next I plan to call Ameritrade and ask them how to submit trailing stops to cover short positions. I used trailing stops to lock in gains and sell my long positions earlier this year and I really liked them (they are a nice tool for dumb traders like me who can't figure out when to sell). So I hope I can use them to more effectively trade the "Cramer Effect".