Output for projection
 

So, now we have all three parts of our project complete in the FCS timeline... An introduction, about 1 minute long, 1080i60; a 4 minute short from the V1U, 1080p24 ProRes, and a 10 minute slideshow of photos with music at 1080i60 with a short blooper reel during the end credits (from the V1U 1080p24 footage). We will be presenting this on a multimedia projector capable of 1024x768 (Viewsonic PJ650) hooked to a MacBook.

Now. What format should we render this mess out to for the best projected picture, while still being able to play it on the MacBook through Quicktime? Any ideas? We did a test render of HDV 1080i60, but Quicktime wouldn't play it and VLC was a bit buggy. H.264 with high settings? Something else?

I'm surprised File>Export>QuickTime Movie doesn't work. That is the best quality export I always use to send to DVDStudio Pro (in SD). H264 should work as well.

Since I'll be following your process next year I'm looking forward to reading replies from more experienced users.

I think we've settled on H.264 with Compressor's built-in "Apple TV" preset. Puts it close to the native output of the projector, small file size, good enough quality for projecting (and certainly better quality than the DV output we had been producing). Render times were good, as well.