This is a response to my own post. After many many tests, I’ve decided to Down Convert within FCP from HDVi60 through down sizing into an uncompressed 8-bit timeline. After rendering it out, I open another timeline & print to a DV-CAM tape.
This, despite many recommendations to use Compressor for down conversion, seems to be the best way of doing it. I ran dozens of tests in compressor to see if it would provide better image quality, & from the tests I ran I see that it does not (not recognizably at any rate).
As for the practicality of down converting I would say it’s better to shoot SD if that’s your final output. The HDV footage was shot with a Z1U & the SD was shot using a DVX100 at 60i. The footage quality of the DVX100 is NOTICEABLY better than the down converted HDV shot with the Z1U. (That’s in every test both with Compressor & FCP)
Also the down converted footage doesn’t do well with quick camera movements or pans. There’s quite a bit of ghosting in the image during such instances.
Therefore if you’re going to edit and output SD, shoot SD. That’s unfortunately what I should have been doing from the start. Hopefully someone out there can find this helpful to not make the same mistake that I have. 🙂
Mike