I have recently noticed that my XL-1 doesn't shoot all the way to the edges of a 720 x 480 frame which causes me some trouble when creating transitions.

Has anyone else noticed or had a problem with this?

This is normal for such a picture. Usually this is not a problem
since you are going to view this on a TV which will not show
you these black parts. If it is a problem you could crop it or
put a black mask on it. What kind of transition are you using
that is giving you problems?

I am beginning to understand the normalcy of this with the XL-1. Strangely, I have a much cheeper DV camera which does give me a complete 720 x 480.

I have probs with 3D transitions, pushes, wipes. Picture in picture. I have problems anytime the entire frame shows up. And unfortunately, editing in Premiere 5.1, you don't have the option of underscanning the transitions. The Crop filter enlarges the picture, so there is a loss of quality. I keep hoping to find some switch or line to change in the settings that will allow me to capture vid at 704 x 480 (the effective picture I'm getting with the XL-1), but I haven't found it yet...
Sorry, I'm rambling on and on about editing stuff. Thanks for the reply.

I'm still not quiet sure as to where your problems lie.
I have done some effects on my footage (primarely
cross dissolves and so forth) and have not encountered
any problems at all. My footage fades correctly from one
clip to the other. When importing computer generated
things (3D animation, titles etc.) I keep in mind that is
a piece of the frame that is not being used. If you do
PIP (picture in picture) just make sure it is not in the
areas where you don't see it. Just position it safe. THats
what all the TV stations do as well!

My problems lie at the extreme left and right of the frame. Exactly 8 pixels on the right and 8 pixels on the left do not produce any image. This results in black bars on the edge of frames anytime I have a transition where the entire frame moves into the picture. 3D transitions or a Push, for example. Cross dissolves aren't a problem because the entire 720 x 480 frame isn't seen. The edges remain in the overscan area.