Terrible quality slideshows when exporting to iDVD

Hi,
I created a FCE file of photos and audio that I applied motion, zooming, and other various effects to. The imported photos are PSD files. Some have a pixel dimension of 972 x 648 (1.5" x 1" and 648dpi) and other are 3888 x 2592 (4" x 6" and 648dpi). I know that the pixel dimensions are the one that video uses, not dpi, so I had converted some to the lower size. I don't see a difference between the higher and lower sized files though. I changed the pixel aspect ratio to D1/DV NTSC (0.9) as well.
When I set the keyframes for movement, I made sure I used even numbers for the vertical setting. None of the photos are scaled over 100%. They range from 50 - 90%.
When I export the file from FCE to bring into iDVD, I have exported it as a QuickTime movie (with and without the self-contained movie option).
The problem I am having is that the slideshow in iDVD looks AWFUL. The images are blurry & pixely, text from LiveType is pixely, it's shaky, and there are moire patterns. It looks like I took pictures with my cell phone and used them. I am viewing it at actual size, but it is still terrible.
I'm wondering if the extra information in the files are causing the problem. (I come from a print background, so deleting the dpi goes against my nature - LOL!). Should I go back and convert all of these photos to a smaller sized file? If I change the resolution to 72dpi, the pixel dimensions change and I will have to rescale/reposition ALL of my photos (over 360 of them) - right? Is the fact that the computer screen is showing the interlacing adding to the problem and it won't be as bad when it is on the tv? Is there a different way to export these to fix the slideshows?
I haven't burned them to a disk yet, this is just from the preview in iDVD. I have imported a video sequence from FCE, that looks fine.
Thanks in advance for any help.
Kristin

Me again,
I'm still having a hard time fixing this. I've put so much time and effort into these "slideshows" and I am still having problems with interlacing on the photos I could cry. I hooked up a tv to the computer today to see what the video "really" looks like and I was able to fix the video problems with the de-interlacing filter. The photos are nice and crisp. However, since I've applied movement to them (ex: cropped photos move across the page vertically or horizontally) and they are filed with the horizontal lines. Moire patterns, too. The de-interlace filter and flicker filters don't seem to fix them.
I found one of your posts before about how to remove moire & flicker by adding a blur filter:
For interlace, you'll need to blur vertically to reduce adjacent scanlines flicker. The standard technique for this is to apply:
Video Filters > Blur > General Convolution:
Cell 2 = 0.25
Cell 5 = 0.5
Cell 8 = 0.25
all other cells = 0
Apply as the last filter in the chain. However, if you see moire due to the Wave or some other distortion filter, you might try adding another one at the beginning of the filter chain.
Where is the Blur > General Convolution? Was it removed from FCE 4.0.1? I've got another one-to-one session scheduled, but it's not for another week and I need to get this video done by thurs eve.
Thanks for any input.
Kristin

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The size of the photos is pretty large (as big as 5233 x 3546), which I'm guessing might be part of the problem, so I tried exporting them from iPhoto with a limitation of 720 x 540, but they still look bad. I expect a decrease in quality once I burn the DVD, but these look bad even in the DVD preview.
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Welcome to the Apple Discussions. Are you cropping your photos to the 16:9 ratio before creating the widescreen slideshow in iPhoto and exporting them to iDVD for a widescreen project? Most digital camera images are in the 4:3 size ratio and don't convert well to the widescreen. Also check the aspect ratio that you're playing the dvd in as that can have an effect on how the slideshow looks.
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