Quality Loss when transferring AVCHD File from Flash Card to iMovie

I have a Canon HF100 and the HD video looks great when I play directly from the video camera to the television. However, there is a loss in quality when I import to iMovie 08 and play the HD video on quicktime. How can I prevent the loss in quality so that playback on my iMac equals playback directly from the video camera to the TV?

First, be sure to import at "Full" 1920x1080.
Second, when you "Share", pick "Share"/Using Quicktime. This will let you customize settings. In Quicktime Settings, pick AIC with an unlimited data rate. For a smaller file, you can also try h.264 with an very high data rate.
You might look at this old post for some details:
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=7022027&#7022027

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