Movement Artifacts and the Reduction Thereof

Question

Heyo!
I recently started using Final Cut Express 4.0.1 on a MacBook running Lion, and I ran into a curious error when importing some footage from a borrowed JVC Everio GZ-MS240 camera. The first issue into which I ran was that this camera creates .MOD files, which Final Cut didn't recognize, so I used a freeware program called iSkysoft Video Converter to change them into .mov files. This came with its own set of issues (including the addition of a rapid clicking sound I had to use Audacity to reduce), the most concerning of which was the aggravation of some odd artifacts associated with things moving. Here are two screenshots from the original .MOD files:
Here are the 'after' pictures, in .mov form.
Note especially the pixelated effect on the shovel and dark horizontal bands around the falling boy.
So this is clearly a problem with the converter; I wanted to get something less sketchy, but it's galling to think of spending twenty dollars on the QuickTime MPEG2 Playback Component so that MPEGStreamClip would work, since I fully intend to never touch this camera or any of its kin for the rest of my life.
My question is, is there some way for me to reduce this effect in Final Cut Express?

Answer 1

I am not familiar with the convertor you are using but you are converting the files with the field dominance reversed. You need to look at what settings you can control and whatever field dominance you chose for this set of conversions (either upper field or lower field sometimes referred to as odd field or even field) try a conversion with the setting reversed.
You can also try dropping one of your incorrect clips to the FCE timeline, and go to the Effects Tab > Video and apply the Shift Fields effect to the clip and see if that helps.
MtD