Gaining better resolution from my final cut hd express films

Hey, can anyone help my on going conundrum once and for all. I've asked editors, all be it avid based, apple technicians and i've still yet to have a definite answer. I've been editing on my macbook using imovie 08 HD, which has been fairly adequate. However, I also have a g5 powermac with th final cut express HD software. I'm not too fussed about livetype and other beneficial FX that final cut express can offer, but what i do want is a better resolution for the finished product, as the final result tends to be a bit blocky. I used to work in TV as director and so have sat in on many an edits. I guess what i'm after is the amateur version of onlining, if this exists??? with AVID suites, in simple, this basically involves re-entering all the rushes, but i've got a funy feeling that it's not that simple sat at home, as the kit in an online suite, would set me back a couple of 100K!
I guess in short what i'm asking asking is A) will i gain a better resolution from using final cut HD express and B) how do you gain the highest possible resolution on either pieces of software. My camera is the Sony Z1 and i'm currently using iDVD.
If anyone can help I'd be hugely grateful!!

thanks for the hospitality! i only wish i'd used the forum earlier...it's nice to there are still decent people out there, willing to share their knowledge..!
my macbook is the 2GHz core duo, but not sure about the G5, it's circa 2004 (i know that's no real help!)
the 'blockyness' in imovie has been there from day 1 and always appears after i have burned the movie off in idvd or merely exported it to an mpeg4 file or likewise and on sequences where i have applied an effect, especially raised the exposure levels the 'blockyness; is almost lego like! but as a general rule of thumb, when editing the rushes look great. once they've been exported its as if they have become 2nd/3rd generation. I've imported stuff to final cut express 2 (recently got the upgrade software to HD express) the rushes look fine, but i'm presuming once i export the same will apply. The quicktime software i'm using is the 7.4.5 version, can this have an effect on the quality? and whether or not the movie is viewed back on the mac or through an external video monitor, the same quality is apparent. I am capturing straight from the camera, but not sure if im using cinemode, this isn't a feature i'm aware of in the menu of the Z1.
I'm no steve jobs, but I'm pretty sure the problem lies around the exporting stage of my movie making. for example, when with imovie, when i produce a title. the edges of the lettering are perfect. once it's been exported, the edges of all the letters are very soft. I've had a look at some other discussion group pages to see if anyone shares the same problem. somebody proposed changing the expert settings in imovie8 which i did but to no avail.
I have toast software that i have not yet used, would this make any difference?
Many thanks again for your guidance.

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When I try sharing to my apple devices from my final cut pro x, I keep getting a "Quicktime Error:-50". How can I fix this?, When I try sharing to my apple devices from my final cut pro x, I keep getting a "Quicktime Error:-50". How can I fix this?

When I try sharing to my apple devices from my final cut pro x, I keep getting a "Quicktime Error:-50". How can I fix this?

You can search the entire internet by putting that error message into google, see what other discussions appear.
With only the little information you've provided, I'd trash Compressor and download it again from the App Store.
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I'm still using Final Cut Express 4.0.1 and I notice there isn't a section for questions on that version, that this is the only FCE section. (I'll be upgrading eventually to FCP, but don't want to until I know I'll be making full use of it and actually need it.)
I have raw material that I converted, using iSkySoft Media Converter, to .mov files with a 720x480 resolution (the same resolution the original files were in).
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I went back and checked my sequence and the properties said the resolution was 720x480.
Which leaves questions:
1) I thought FCE worked with .mov files internally. Why does it have to render the video from the .mov files (and re-render every time I make changes)? Is there a format I can convert to BEFORE importing into FCE so I don't have to wait so long for rendering? Perhaps settings I can use that'll match FCE's internal settings?
2) When importing my files into FCE, and reading the properties of the clip in the sequencer, it looks like the properties were of the original file the clip is from. What resolution is FCE actually working in and how can I change that resolution when I'm working with DVD quality images (720x480)?
3) Is there an easy way to just say, "These files are in 720x480, so keep it that definition all the way through start to finish" by working with settings?
4) Not quite the same thing, but it's close and I want to be sure I'm on target. Someone told me that when I have 4:3 video and 16:9 video files, that the project will take on the ratio of the first clip I use. Is this the first one I import or the first one I drop onto a sequence? And can different sequences in the same project have different resolutions? And does that first clip set the resolution as well as the ration?
Thanks for any help. I used to work as a pro editor back before everyone was doing it digitally and did some digital work for a while, but at this point I've forgotten more than I remember and I want to get back up to speed eventually.

Can you go to the Browser and right click the Sequence icon, then select Item Properties.
Post a screen shot or relay all the info please.
Do the same thing for a clip icon.
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If your incoming files do not match any Easy Setups then you use a third party app to transcode the files so they do match the Easy Setup selected.
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Example: FCE>Easy Setup>DV-NTSC
This MAY be the one to match your incoming files of 720 x 480. Note that there are Anamorphic Easy Setups, these are used for 16:9 footage.
FYI: Changing the Formats and Rates popups gives you differing Easy Setup choices, select (all formats) and (all rates) to see them all.
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wing hunter wrote:
Asside from being slightly easier because I've got Final Cut specs, using FC would also save me the extra step of exporting a QT and then sending the QT to compressor.
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This may turn out to be an option, but it isn't that FCPro won't accept the avi files; it's just that it gave me this warning that I didn't understand. If, as a previous posting said, it's just telling me that this wasn't imported via Final Cut, then 'no big deal'. If it's telling me something else, that's yet to be discovered.
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It'll be an interesting 'experiment', and I'll be sure and post the results.
Curiously enough, iMovie imports these same files without blinking, and seems to convert them on the fly as it were to .dv files, with no apparently loss of quality. These can then be imported into FCPro/Express.
<<About the only thing that doesn't give a warning are files captured using FCP ....>>
If that's all it's tell me, that I didn't capture these using FCP, then I guess I could say it's telling me something I already knew. <grin>
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Gaining better resolution from my final cut hd express films

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