What is the point of shooting in 24P if the finished product is a DVD? Can NTSC DVDs be in 24P? If not, is it not better to stay in 60i and avoid a conversion or two? I am planning for my next short (to be shot with an XL2), which I intend to submit to film festivals on DVD.

Absolutely, Hollywood DVD's are 24p and you too can make them. I can't speak for other NLE/DVD Authoring software but Vegas/DVD Architect can output real deal 24p DVD's. This has a nice side effect of allowing you to squeeze more video onto a 4.7gb disc at a higher bitrate too, so there are definate tangible benefits aside from having 24p from shoot to screen.

It appears you are correct (http://24p.com/downloads/24p_DVD_creation.pdf).Thank you for your input.

The advantages to making a 24p DVD are several.

You'll save disc space, which can mean higher-quality video or more room for extras.

You'll be able to play native 24p with a progressive-scan player and a progressive TV -- no conversion by the DVD player. This will eliminate interlace artifacts on a progressive display.

As Daniel said, it's the way Hollywood does it.

You can mix framerates on the same disc, too. Your movie can be 24p while the extras are 60i, for example.