Capturing, Exporting to preserve AVCHD 1920x1080 quality

Hi, everyone,

I'm using FCP 7.

I have a Sony HDR-CX550 Handycam. It comes with a USB cable. I filmed footage in HD FH, which it says is 1920x1080.

I used Log and Transfer to bring in clips to my project, but after I exported a test in Apple ProRes 422, the quality looks awful, especially in full screen. I then tried exporting in Apple ProRes 1920x1080 60i, and the image quality was nicer, but whenever my subjects moved, they got segmented into these lines. So, it also looks awful.

I've heard of using MPEG Streamclip to decompress video clips, but it doesn't seem to recognize the .MTS files that are in the camcorder.

What settings should I be sure to use in FCP to preserve the image quality? Should I change the Audio/Visual settings? How do I make sure to capture the full quality? What settings to I use for export to preserve the visual quality?

Thanks so much!

P.S. This video will be posted on a professional website, so I don't know if I need to do something extra for web optimization.

Thanks, cgbier. I've used MPEG Streamclip to deinterlace before, but it won't cooperate this time. Any other tips on deinterlacing the clips?

I'm assuming the files are, indeed, the .MTS files. I do see a ton of other files that aren't openable on Macs. Their icon is that blackish box with the green tinge.

Thanks, guys. I'll try the video filter and Compressor. I've used video filters, but I've never used Compressor before––I put the .mov file through Compressor after it's exported?

Any tips on what export settings to use?