[Rafael Amador]

[George Roberson] “Now I am a bit relieved 🙂 So I guess I don’t need worry about motion distortion or quality loss after converted to 2K DCP.”
You edit a HD video with the best quality you can and then you give the stuff to a company specialized in DCP mastering. They will take care of rest.
About the audio, sorry, but I can’t help you.
rafael

[Rafael Amador]

[George Roberson] “I guess the 30p is for export of DVD/NTSC?”
No need.
When you have p23,98 fps, you make a p23,98 fps DVD.
The player puts out 29,97fps.

I went back check my FCP7 file – it says
Frame size: 1920 x 1080
Aspect ratio: HDTV 1080i (16:9)
Pix aspect ratio: Square
Editing timebase: 23.98

Does that mean it is 24p instead of 30p?
Is 23,98.
rafael

[Rafael Amador]

The first thing you should try is to correct the picture colors because I thinkthey are very off specs.
Then, FC is bad at long dissolves.
Nattress Filters have a “Long Dissolve” transition.
rafael

[Rafael Amador]

If you are going DCP, yes.
As Garret mentioned, DCP standard is 24 or 48fps.
No idea why your stuff is 30fps.
Even for NTSC DVDs, p23,98 is OK.
Makes no sense to go p24 > p30 > p24.
You will get crap.
You should have done everything p23,98.
rafael

[Rafael Amador]

[George Roberson] “Why do you think the picture quality will lose? “
Deinterlacing is a process where you have to discharge half of the lines of the original picture and create half of the lines of the new Progressive frame.

[George Roberson] ” don’t know why you think my timeline is 29.97 p. “
Well, you said so on your post

“The FCP sequence setting is 1920 x 1080 in HDTV 1080i 16:9 aspect ratio. The raw footage was shot in Canon DSLR 24p.”

rafael

[Rafael Amador]

[George Roberson] “The FCP sequence setting is 1920 x 1080 in HDTV 1080i 16:9 aspect ratio. The raw footage was shot in Canon DSLR 24p.”
That makes no sense.
If your footage is p24 (p23.97) you edit on a sequence with the same time base.

[George Roberson] “1. Will the DCP file keep the same aspect ratio? Some say after converted to DCP, Conversion of 59i interlaced material to 24P progressive definitely causes visible motion distortion. Is this true?”
Not true, but picture quality will lose.

[George Roberson] “3. I notice there is some software that I might be able to do it myself although I am a total newbie on this. How do most people do this? Hire a post production company?”
That’s the solution.
This article is interesting for you:
https://library.creativecow.net/articles/lasson_russell/digital_cinema.php
rafael

[Rafael Amador]

When you conform to a new time-base, the files shows uo everywhere (QT, FC,..) with the new time-base.
Your p50 stuff won’t be any more p50.
Then you edit on a sequence with the new time base.
You have to decided what you want to deliver (25 or 23,97fps) and conform to that and edit on a sequence like that. You will keep the full original quality. No renders unless you apply any filter, transformation or graphic on top.
Makes no sense to conform to p23,97 and edit on a p25 sequence.
rafael

[Rafael Amador]

[Bill Davis] “when people who’ve been schooled in the traditions, adopt the newer simpler modes of expression, embrace technology that drives complexity OUT of creation – and use a combination of new and old tools to create excellent work.”
“Newer and simpler”: You are not thinking about FCPX, don’t you?
Imagine that to play an electric guitar or a synthesizer you have to forget all what you knew about acoustic guitar or piano: That’s FCPX.
rafael

[Rafael Amador]

Never heard of that application, but I don’t see it necessary (neither I trust it very much for.
EX footage works great native in FC. Use the SONY transfer tool.
The Z1 stuff, the same:doesn’t need transcoding.
You haven’t said if you have to deliver in p30 or p25.
Depending of the time-base you want to deliver, you have to convert one or the other footage.
Use Compressor to change the time base, and convert to Prores at the same time.
Once all the footage have the same time-base you can edit it together.
EX-1, HDV and Prores works without problem in the same sequence.
Set your sequence codec Prores.
rafael

[Rafael Amador]

Unless there are audio pitch issues, the best way to go p24 > p25 is conforming with CinemaTools.
You can’t do that with the RED stuff, but you can transcode to Prores 444 and conform those files.
No need for proxies.
rafael