Background Alpha export is arbitrary

It's been some time, so I'm starting over on the Apple boards. (Must have lost my profile)
I've read with interest the many posts regarding this topic before posting. Since I'm a Motion novice, this is the 1st place I look. Here's what's going on...
Using Motion to make those nice supers for my Avid (Mac 2.7) projects. Spent the last week exporting supers, all very nice. Yesterday, the lower thirds only exported with a black background. While I'm certain that there's a setting somewhere I fooled with, I can't get an alpha channel to save my sanity.
Previous to this seemingly arbitrary occurance there was no change in this hardware/software setup. It just stopped exporting w/alpha.
I checked the likely suspects...
Project background color slider set to 0%.
Channel in Canvas set to 'alpha'.
Each file exported using Animation (Millions of Colors +)
I avoid the "current project settings" export checkbox to avoid just such a case, instead I'd rather control the whole export process upon export. FWIW, there is no black background in the Motion project in question
For some reason, I'm unable to export a QT w/alpha channel. Perhaps when I try again, it will. This is a bizarre experience. I've been using alpha channels for decades, usually in 3-d apps and AE. A software codec selection should be honored by the app. Very curious.
Any thoughts?
G5 Dual 2gig - 8 g RAM Mac OS X (10.4.9)

Thank you for your thoughtful replies, but all the settings suggestions that have been mentioned are already appropriately selected, namely:
Canvas view channel to 'transparent'. (verifies that there is no background color in the composition)
Background Color selection in Project Properties reduced to 0%.
Exporting as Quicktime Movie. Export Options set under Video/Audio... Quality=100%. In Advanced Settings, Compression type is selected 'Animation'. Compressor Depth set to 'Millions of Colors+'. Quality 'Best'.
Under 'Output' pane of Export dialog, Use Current project and canvas settings is not selected. Resolution is Full, Color is selected as 'Color + Alpha'. Premultiply Black is currently selected. (I've tried that both ways to no effect)
The review pane on the right of this dialog verifies my Motion export settings as correct to obtain a Quicktime file with included alpha channel for compositing.
Upon import into Avid, file shows appropriate import processes for both graphic fill and alpha matte. However, imported Motion clip does not exhibit key properties. I employed a workaround, exporting Motion files as Animation Millions of Colors only, and using luma key to make the clip key. I've used several Avid codecs as tests from DV50 to 1:1 uncompressed, with no change in the outcome.
As the beginning of this thread indicates, I already successfully created a number of perfectly fine files using the above carefully-described methodology, which follows the documented procedures to obtain the desired result.
I appreciate the responses thus far. I wish I were just missing a silly button or selection somewhere. I understand that this is usually the case. For now, I hold to the thread title as an accurate description of this situation.
G5 Dual 2gig - 8 g RAM Mac OS X (10.4.9)

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