Canon XL2 Capturing Complications. Need help!

Hi Alex,
You should be using the easy set up with format :NTSC and use: DV NTSC anamorphic.
It should look fine unless you have the viewer or canvas set to more than 100%, then it will lose resolution and the interlacing lines will become more prominent.
DM

Message was edited by: David Mclaine

Hi - I don't have a solution to your problem, but wanted to let you know that in June I had a very similar experience. I was given footage shot on a Canon XLH1A, shot as DV 4x3 in the "30p" mode and it was the weirdest looking video I have ever seen. The first time I played a clip back, I really thought something had gone wrong on my settings. I spent several hours, like you, trying to figure out what the proper settings should be. The clips came in as 720x480 DV/DVCPRO-NTSC, with NTSC-CCIR601 Aspect and lower field dominance, 29.97fps - so they should be already to go, and I matched the sequence settings to the clip settings. BUT the video has the most peculiar visible interlacing, which is acerbated by camera or subject motion. I never got it to where I was happy with it, the only thing I can say is that if you look at it on an NTSC output monitor, it looks a little better than the FCP edit monitor.
The video had been recorded on a Focus Enhancements FS-DTE unit, so I don't know it that was part of the problem or not.

Hi Alex,
Just noticed you have a macbook. How and to where are you capturing this footage.
DM

Heya,

JSYK, the XL2 has a firewire port.

Yup , has a firewire port right there on the back of the camera.

FYI The XL2 is a great camera but you need to be using the manual settings, don't just point and shoot.
DM

Message was edited by: David Mclaine

Alex,
assuming you've captured using the easy set up mentioned earlier, go to sequence settings and change your field dominance to "none" it should look better but probably not a solution for the bad footage.
DM