East Carolina University
Macintosh Users Group

serving ECU and surrounding communities

• Written Minutes:
  • Welcome (35 members in attendance; 3 new members signed up)
  • Announcements:
    Please visit the ECU-MUG Store and buy something to help the group cover basic meeting costs.
    • Student Stores has 3 demo Macs for sale (17-inch PowerBook G4 $2499; iMac 17-inch $1599; iBook 800 MHz for $1199 with Airport).
    • Student Stores will be having more iPod Demo Days this week and next. Try 'em out!
    • MS Entourage 10.1.4 should allow Mac users to use it as their primary Exchange client at ECU. Unfortunately, the e-mail system on campus is not ready for Entourage 10.1.4, so I do not recommend it.
    • Plans are being discussed to have a on-campus, brief Mac/ECU-MUG meeting in the afternoons once/month. Please fill out the poll on the ECU-MUG main web page to cast your vote (only if you are a ECU person).
    • Plans are being discussed on whether the ECU-MUG might broadcast its meetings on local cable stations (live or pre-recorded). We are also looking to have the School of Communication students produce a 1/2 hour Mac-related show for TV broadcast. More info on this as it is developed.

  Mac Update: the following are items that are related to Apple, the Mac community, or other similar of-interest developments:

  • Security Update 7/14/03 (known to cause some problems if installed)
  • Apple's iDVD 3
  • Apple iSight Firewire webcam
  • Circuit City sells iPod (search for "iPod")
  • Best Buy sells Macs (search for "Apple")
  • Macromedia Contribute 2 (easy web site management)
  • Apple and Volkswagon marketing campaign
  • Apple's Premiere-to-Final Cut Pro offer
  • Roxio readies Toast 6
  • QuarkXPress 6 ships
  • DVD Studio Pro 2 ships
  • U. S. Navy uses Apple Xserve servers on submarines
  • Microsoft reduces pricing on Office for Mac
  • Microsoft releases free templates for PowerPoint (Mac)
  • Apple ships Power Mac G5
  • Computerworld article acknowledges that Macs reduce need for I. T. support services

  Presentation/Demonstration: ECU-MUG President, Mike Dixon, gives presentation and demonstration of Movie Maestro ($49), a soundtrack creation software program that integrates with or without iMovie to create seamless movie music for your projects.A presentation and demonstration of getting a video to iDVD 3.0.1 starts. Topics covered include:

  • Hardware needed
  • Making the best DVD possible: looping music, drop zones, sensible menus
  • Third-party themes: choosing/installing third-party themes
  • Blank DVDs: choosing the most compatible discs
  • Buying DVD players: choosing ones that play your homemade DVDs
  • Buying and making disc labels and case covers; what software to use
  • Suggestions for VHS-to-DVD conversion
  • Here are links related to creating DVDs on the Mac, labeling DVDs and buying cases for storage:
    • iDrops, iDVDThemes, and iDVDThemePAK.com make themes/plug-ins for iDVD.
    • Discus (disc and jewel case/DVD jacket labeling software)
    • Meritline.com (online store for DVD-related items)
      http://www.meritline.com/
    • Apple DVD-R 5-pack at Apple Store (best blank DVD-R discs for compatibility)
    • Apple's DVD-R Compatibility list
  • Giveaways: One winner won a copy of Movie Maestro; one winner won the complete collection of iDVDThemePAK's 6-volume iDVD theme set; one winner received a copy of XPlay (software for older iPods to work with Windows); one winner won a copy of iDVDThemes.com Volume 1 set of iDVD themes.
• This meeting was not video-taped.