[Douglas Spotted eagle]

Creating a shallow DOF in post is never truly convincing when done in video; tools like DeFocus are more for 3D models and separating subjects from backgrounds.
That said, you can use Bezier masks or mattes to cut out a main subject and apply very light blur to background content, or the Radiance plugin for Vegas has a very nice Defocus feature when combined with masking.
Your best best of course, is to accomplish this in-glass. Either by backing way off, using zoom to accomplish the shallow DOF on closeups, or using a tool such as the RedRock Micro 35mm adapter to extend length and give you that DOF. With the new flip feature in Vegas, it’s quite handy.

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

Failed to mention, you can also frame-serve to a VDub plug that does a very good job (better than Vegas) but since you’re mixing 60i and 24p without a 24p conform first, I’m not sure what your results would be. Mixing multiple framerates is something we do on a regular basis, our training DVDs are shot with a blend and output as 24p in most situations.
you might also prefer the same answer explained differently by David Jimerson, he wrote a very well-done 24p article for Vegas, if you can find it around the web. I don’t have the link on this ‘puter.

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

Yes, the deinterlace method does matter, as I mentioned earlier. High motion, you’re going to want to interpolate, low motion, blend. Or, you can use Mike Crash’ plugin, which will use adaptive motion compensation, and it does a good job.
The rest of the settings set themselves when you set up your project.
Or, you can test it yourself, as it seems you’re not wanting to accept what I’ve offered.

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

I use one reasonably regularly, depending on what we’re recording. For small shoots requiring multichannel, or for musical performances, it’s a great tool when you don’t need many inputs.
Great unit, terrific audio quality.
Vegas will import the BWF file from the unit no problem.
What are you recording? if it’s only dialog, I sure wouldn’t waste the bits on 24bit, unless you plan on recording low an needing the extra range during mix.
Connect to the camera via LANC, it’ll start/stop with the camcorder. Not the same as Genlock, but it’s close enough for most anything.
29.97D is Dropframe. You want non-drop frame if you want reasonbly close T/C.

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

There’s not a default blend/interpolate/none de-interlace setting for timelines — the setting simply carries over from what you’ve previously used

Not so. Before putting any media on the timeline;
File/Project Properties/NTSC DV 23.976 or NTSC DV Widescreen 23.976.
All properties will fall into place if you use one of these two templates.
I’ve got a couple articles on the subject found on the VASST site.
or, you can spend time with the highest motion sequence you’ve got, using 60i, 24p templates, with various deinterlace settings, or experiment with Mike Crash’ deinterlacer, and you’ll have answers of your own.

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

I’d love to be a shill for Sony Broadcast, truth is, we own more non-Sony cameras than we own Sony cameras.
And we buy them just like you do. We probably break more in a year than most folks own in a lifetime.

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

Alert to Hollywood; quit shooting with the highest resolutions possible. RED, Genesis, SI, Viper….close your doors; Varicam is superior to all of you.
Apparently only Varicam creates a cinelook that folks like.
George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Jon Carpenter, Steven Soderberg, Dean Devlin, Bob Redford, James Cameron…are you all listening?
By far, far…Cinealta has been matched to more film than Varicam or any other format.
Either way, it’s interesting how a subject of why video looks harsh compared to film has become a Panasonic discussion.
Varicam owns most of the commercial spot production market, that’s one I’ll give you, but that’s about where it overall ends.
It’s absurd to bring Varicam and HDV into a parity discussion, and then attempt to compare either of those to SR for example. We might as well drag AVCHD and Viper dual-stream into the discussion too, since we’ve gotten ridiculous.

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

OK, back to topic.
Resolution has nothing to do with why video does or does not look harsh.
However, you’ve raised a point that I would like to hear you expound upon, suggesting that 720p is less sharp or more aesthetically pleasing than 1080p or i when viewed on a display of corresponding size, when the source is the same.

The answer as to why film looks less harsh is a discussion of gamma, contrast, framerate, and the method in which it is acquired, depending on the DP’s taste. It’s not an issue of resolution.

I’d still like to better understand your theory of 720p vs 1080 or 480 for that matter.

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

You didn’t answer my question, and I specified film source, which precludes any discussion of “news” or ENG.

“So based on your theory, you’re saying that 720p from a film source looks softer on a 720p display than 1080i/p will appear from the same film source when displayed on a 1080 i/p display system?”

For giggles, we’ll specify a 46″ 720p display, and a 60″ 1080 display as our foundational displays.

So sourcing from the same film source (which would mean 35mm source footage), you’re saying that a 720p stream on a 720p display would appear softer than a 1080 stream on a 1080 display? With the same original footage sourced to two different streams?

[Douglas Spotted eagle]

You didn’t answer my question, and I specified film source, which precludes any discussion of “news” or ENG.

“So based on your theory, you’re saying that 720p from a film source looks softer on a 720p display than 1080i/p will appear from the same film source when displayed on a 1080 i/p display system?”

For giggles, we’ll specify a 46″ 720p display, and a 60″ 1080 display as our foundational displays.

So sourcing from the same film source (which would mean 35mm source footage), you’re saying that a 720p stream on a 720p display would appear softer than a 1080 stream on a 1080 display? With the same original footage sourced to two different streams?