Is it possible to run HDV footage through the Z1 to a HD monitor while editing as you would with DV? I can't seem to get this to work. Is it even possible?

No, you can't use the Z1 to connect to a monitor via firewire in HDV mode unfortunately. The cheapest solution is to use another computer monitor connected the second graphics port if you have a Power Mac, then you would use the "digital cinema desktop" feature to send previews to that monitor. Otherwise you need to get a rather expensive HD card to feed a monitor.

But these solutions only work if you have a Power Mac. If you're using an iMac then I don't think there's any way to use an external monitor.

Thanks for the info Boyd.

So how would I go about putting my edited footage back on tape? Is my only option is to go to DVD?

You can that with the Z1, you just can't monitor in realtime as you edit. I believe this is actually a limitation of FCP and not the Z1.

How do I do that? Can you give me the setting to accomplish this?

Print to Video is what you're looking for.

The inability to monitor HDV through a Z1 is not a limitiation of FCP but of computers in general. None can recompress the timeline back to HDV in realtime.

Open the Audio/Video settings dialog. The Capture Preset should be HDV and Device control preset HDV firewire. Assuming that you have a second monitor connected to your graphics card, choose one of the Digital Cinema Desktop options for video playback. Click on the A/V Devices tab. Check the box Different Output for Edit to Tape/Print to Video and choose HDV (1440x1080) 30 fps.

Now use File > Print to Video to send your sequence to the camera (which should be connected via firewire and in VCR mode, same as it would be for capturing). You will see the video on the Z1's LCD as it records.

Honestly, I've just upgraded to FCP 5 and only done one brief test with my Z1 in HDV mode after 5 months using it as an SD camera with FCP 4.5. However this seems to work for me. Perhaps others with more experience can give you some more suggestions if you're having problems.

Thanks again for the info ... I'm a newbie to the Z1. The HDV footage looks wonderful but I think I'll be shooting and editing in SD for the time being.