Meeting Recap - December 14, 2008

MacGroup Meeting in progress At our December meeting Terry took us through the latest and greatest new features of iTunes 8! He also showed us the latest iPods including the new 4th generation nano and the iPod touch. The highlight of the meeting was a live demonstration of Apple TV and how it could be used not only for purchased content from the iTunes store, but also for your own music and more importantly, your own movies.

Terry also showed us how the Apple TV could be setup wirelessly to stream music from your computer in one room to your TV/Stereo in another room. We got a chance to see how photo slideshows could be done either via your own photos from your photo library or from your friend's photo collections on MobileMe or Flickr.

Terry also took this opportunity to roll out MacGroup TV! Now you'll be able to enjoy the meeting videos on any device any time you want. MacGroup TV is a video podcast available through iTunes at no additional cost. You can subscribe today to download the latest meetings. Once you subscribe, iTunes will automatically download the latest video once it's posted. As soon as it's downloaded into iTunes on your computer, you'll be able to watch it there or sync it to your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV. Subscribe TODAY! It's FREE!

Q&A from the Meeting

Q. You mentioned a Dashboard Widget that allowed you to automatically add the lyrics to songs in iTunes. Which one is that??
A. The Widget is called Harmonic and you can get it here.

Q. You said you use HandBrake for converting your OWN DVD's into an iTunes/iPod friendly format. Where do I get that app?
A. HandBrake is Free and you can download it here.

Q. What was the name of the app you were using to control iTunes and the Apple TV from your iPhone/iPod touch?
A. It's by Apple and it's called "Remote". It's a FREE download from the App Store.

Q. The last movie I bought on DVD included something called a "Digital Copy". What's that?
A. If you buy a DVD or Blu-ray and it includes something called a "Digital Copy" that's actually very cool! This means that there is an extra disc in the case that you can put in your computer and it will contain an iTunes version of the movie. So you get the best of both worlds. You can watch the DVD or Blu-ray on your TV and at no additional cost, you can copy the Digital Copy to your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV. Keep in mind that movies from Sony (like Hancock) include a Digital Copy that is not yet Mac compatible (leave it to Sony to once again, do it there way). Read my post on Digital Copies here.

Q. I hear that you review Apps for the iPhone/iPod touch on a regular basis. Where can I read your reviews?
A. I do a post every Friday called "iPhone App of the Week" on my techblog. Many of the Apps I review also work on the iPod touch.

Q. Now that the meeting videos will be available via iTunes, does this mean that I now have to get an iPod or Apple TV?
A. Nope! You can watch them in iTunes on your computer or sync the videos to your iPod, iPhone or Apple TV. Watch them anywhere you want, anyway you want. Subscribe to MacGroup TV here for FREE.

Q. Was that a "regular TV" you were using on stage today?
A. Yep! It sure was. It was this one.

Q. Where can I get a Great Book for the iPhone/iPod Touch?

Congratulations to Our Lucky Door Prize Winners!

Prize	Ticket #	Winner
The Digital Photography Book 2	1434893	Thom
The iPhone Book 2nd Edition	1434907	Gerry
The iPod Book 4th Edition	1434681	Calven
The iPhone Book 2nd Edition	651021	Gordon
Epson R280 Photo Printer	1434565	Sanford
The iPod Book 4th Edition	1435033	Brian D
The Digital Photography Book 2	1434982	Philpe
LaCie 1TB Hard Disk	1434920	Gerry
The iPod Book 4th Edition	1434949	Fred
The Digital Photography Book 2	1434585	Eric
The iPod Book 4th Edition	1434896	Julia W
iPod nano 4th generation	1434865	Mike Arlow
The iPhone Book 2nd Edition	1435025	Brian
Apple TV	1435076	Lou A.

Thanks Bruce Mandel of Mandel Video for Recording Our Event

Special Thanks

I would like to thank the meeting volunteers that helped out at our last meeting. Especially Jack Beckman for the wonderful TicketDrum app, Calvin Carson, the Grey's and the Stones for working the registration table as well as Loretta & Elaine. Also the Genius Table folks: Phyllis, Yvonne, Chita and Jack. Shirley Kussner for videotaping. Lastly Joseph Grey & Louis Levin for taking photos and all the members who offered a helping hand.

Subscribe to MacGroup TV

If you missed our meeting you can watch it via iTunes!

Next Meeting January 18, 2009 - Main Meeting Topic: What's New from Macworld Expo!