I've been working recently with some students who claim that the look of 24p includes a better color rendition. Has anyone else ever observed this as a general rule of thumb??

Students don't know SQUAT. They are in school to learn. They might THINK they know, but...they don't. (lol)

Better color rendition? DOn't see how. The color space is the same whether you are working 24p or 30i. If you shot both format with the same camera (DVX100a for example) then you'd see no difference. However, if they are talking about from different cameras, one camera might have superior electronics that account for this.

Or they might be struck by the filmic look of 24p and be influenced by that look. I know I am.

But, as a general rule of thumb, no, the color rendition isn't superior.

That was my reply but I was outnumbered. They insisted...and I suggested it may be illusional because of the motion blur or maybe they looked brighter on some displays.

The 24p scene file on the DVX100 changes some camera settings (color-related) compared to the normal scene file. So in that sense, the 24p scene file does affect things.

24p cameras also tend to have interesting colors as they are sort of designed for filmish-looking footage. The DVX and HVX for example have their own aesthetic that's slightly different than other cameras, as does the Varicam. Maybe??

I presume you mean the default settings. That's an interesting possibility.

Are the default settings from the non-24p scene files different from the default 24p settings?