The camcorder I have (GS70) shoots 480i and I'd like to create 480p for import into DVDSP4..........Can that be done using FCP 5.1.2?

Which kind of 480p? 24 or 30? It's simply a matter of deinterlacing the footage to make 480p30. The deinterlacer in FCP is not regarded as the best. I convert everything I shoot to 480p30 using either Natress Film Effects filters or a free filter called Quick.Look (http://www.perfectlypolitepictures.com/presents/quicklook)

Now 24p is a different story since you are actually removing frames, deinterlacing frames, and blending frames all at the same time. To achieve the proper look I would highly recomend Nattress Film Effects (http://www.nattress.com/).

Dave,
Thank you very much for your reply. I do have Nattress Film effects. It's just that when I add the G-film@24p or 30p to the clip in the FCP timeline and export as an mpeg-2 file via the apple compressor; the track always show up as a 480i in DVDSP-4 with no options for converting to 480p.
p.s. Thanks for the information on quick look. I'll give it a try.

Well, actually I should clarify. For 24p, you need to work in a 24p timeline. You can't just take the 480i footage that you've captured and put a filter on it to make it 24p in a 29.97 timeline. Adding the G-film@24p filter in a 29.97 timeline just gives you 3 frames of deinterlaced plus 2 interlaced so it'll fit the timeline. If you have a interlaced production monitor or even a TV set that you monitor FCD through, you'll see that when you go frame by frame through your footage, you have 3 frames that don't flicker then 2 that show the interlace flicker.

Compressor does not change frame rates for you. It just converts that footage to a new format at the same frame rate of the source footage. There are options for deinterlacing though.

Go To this page at Nattress.com (http://www.nattress.com/Movies/movies.htm) to find out how to use the stamdards conversion filter to make 24p footage in a 24p timeline. Scroll down to the "Standards Conversion - Tutorial Movies".

Thanks for all your help Dave.

No problem. Glad to do it. I'm just passing on what I learned right here on dvinfo.net.

That's what the problem was......I have Film Effects but I don't have Standards Conversion. I downloaded the demo and created a clip to burn to DVD then it's over to my daughters' house to check it out on her HD set.
Maybe I'll ask for the Standards Coversions Software for Christmas.............
Thanks again Dave.
God Bless,
Doug