Choosing the right format for export

Hi, I've got quite a detailed technical question here, regarding video.
I use a Canon Powershot S95 to make videos. I am quite happy with the video quality and prefer using this camera for video rather than using my micro 4/3 camera.
During a trip i will shoot snippets of video using the S95 which i will then edit into a single movie using iMovie '11 on a Mac. The result is quite nice. So far so good.
The S95 features 720p HD 24fps movie recording (1280x720 is what the file info tells me)
When I am done with my video project iMovie gives me the option of saving in various formats, different quality levels depending on where I intend to watch it. I want to save it in the best quality possible, to 'future-proof' it and to watch it on my 27" mac screen.
iMovie offers me the choice of saving in
mobile
medium
large
HD 720p
HD 1080p
I just put together a 5 min movie.
Having saved it using the best quality, HD1080p, the result is a file which is a whopping 800MB for a 5 min film. I say whopping because i have full movies downloaded that last almost 2 hrs and take up only 1.5GB, and they look fine, if not better on the screen.
Given that the source files are 1270x720, is there any point in saving in HD 1080p? or am i just creating an unnecessarily large file with a resolution that is higher than the source material and hence, adds no improved video quality?
any thoughts would be much appreciated.
Thanks!

mtl1969b wrote:
… Given that the source files are 1270x720, is there any point in saving in HD 1080p? or am i just creating an unnecessarily large file with a resolution that is higher than the source material and hence, adds no improved video quality?…
exactly.
It can not get any better than the original.
Making it 'bigger' doesn't add any value.
you're not only bloating files-size, but export times dramatically increase either.
btw: iM offers much more options. 'Export using Quicktime' offers you any option you have on a Mac. E.g. you can 'adjust' the max. bit-rate of an export, reducing file-size (and probably quality …)
concenring file size: you can add the free encoder x264 to Quciktime, which offers 'better' quality on small file-sizes. But that is no beginner's task…
Last word:
file size should never be an issue in video-making.
Videos are huge. Full stop

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