Optimal settings for export from 1080p camcorder - Canon HF100

I just bought an HF100 camcorder. When I make projects with iMovie what are best export settings for 1080p projects? What about for 480p for a DVD. I tried to export 1080p video and it looks grainy. I'm not sure if this is the fault of the camera or iMovie?
Also, when I play clips inside imovie the playback is choppy. Is there anyway to fix this?

I'm using a HF10, and I don't think iMovie '08 properly detects that 1080p recordings from these camcorders are progressive scan, but rather treats then like 1080i clips. I find I get better results by recording in the default 1080i if there's sideways motion in the video. That doesn't really surprise me - according to the AVCHD consortium website, there's no such thing as 1080p in AVCHD (see http://www.avchd-info.org/format/index.html).
DVDs are always interlaced anyway, so for best results you want to start with 1080i and not 1080p. I export at 960x540i, using the Quicktime export option selecting "High" quality mode. The default "Large" sharing option in iMovie uses a bitrate that I find too low for getting the best quality.
When you export at 1080p, what is your bitrate set to? That makes a lot of difference.
Finally, 1080p playback is very hard work for your computer. Try quitting other applications before playing back your video to get a smooth experience. Or export at 540p.

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