Analog to Digital import - Best Settings

I, like so many others, have decided to move our old VHS and Hi8 movies into digital format. I've acquired a Grass Valley ADVC300 for this purpose and have begun transferring the tapes. Now that I have half a dozen imported, I realize I may be losing some of the original viewing area (small part at the top of field of view). I know this could be ADVC related but it raised another question.
My question is how best to import them into iTunes to maintain the maximum amount of data (max. screen size, quality, etc.). Where can I find information on the ramifications of each of the import file types, etc.? (Is a decision tree flow chart too much to hope for?) At my knowledge level, there seem to be so many options with different outcomes, I'd like to know where each option will take me before spending more hours on this.
Here's the setup. Due to location, I begin by using iMovie HD-5 to create a project to import into. I'm immediately given 6 options for the project: DV, DV widescreen, HDV 1080i, HDV 720p, MPEG-4, and iSight. I've been using DV.
Once onto this HD I travel to where I have newer Macs. iMac and MBP with iMovie 11v9 and import this video as an iMovieHD project. On the MBP I'm given the options of no optimization, optimization with full original size, or large-960x540 with a cautionary note stating "Selecting full on this computer may result in degraded video playback." Wow, what are all these options doing to my raw data? Is this critical enough to where I should import into one project on the iMac directly? Should it be optimized video? (eeek)
** My goal is to get the maximum raw data into a DV format archive, regardless of file size, so that as time allows I can review, edit and work with the maximum data possible before the tapes degrade further. (Like the RAW or tiff data for digital stills). Are there good titles of references out there on this subject?
Message was edited by: crtolson

Is there a difference between the import quality between iMovie 5 and 6?
Both will import at full quality.
By the way, I have tried to install the iMovieHD v6.0.1 from the bundled software disk on to my new iMac and MacBook Pro which are running 10.6.7 and it will not load on either.
If by "bundled software" you mean the disc that came with a different computer you may be able to extract iMovie 06 using pacifist.
http://www.charlessoft.com/
If you have the iLife 06 disc it should install on any Macintosh with a G4 processor or newer.
You can purchase iLife 06 on Amazon or eBay, it will cost more than iLife 11.

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