according to the manual if i want to end in a film print i should shoot SD at a 2:3:3:2 mode. why, if i have this high end piece of HD equipment, would i want to shoot SD. i don't know exactly how i will end up yet, video or film, but i what i do know is that i want a "cinematic" looking image that is not limited to either format as a finished product. any advice?

UH, I think it's because if you want the film look in HD you just choose the 24f option and you get 24 frames out of the firewire... (no pull down)

thanks for the response but what if you are going to tape. do you still get true 24P?

Final Cut Pro will print an HDV 24F sequence back to tape as 24F. (no pulldown)

It is true 24p back to tape.

So that means I don't need H1 for film out.I can shoot XL2 and get the same results.Is that what you are saying?
I was planing on using H1 for my feature that will be transferred to film.
I guess I don't need that much money after all.
Good day.

So that means I don't need H1 for film out.People have been doing a film out with standard definition DV for years, so yes it's true, you don't need high definition or an XL H1 for film out (but it doesn't hurt to do it that way). There have been numerous 35mm film releases that weren't shot in HD. 28 Days, Open Water, The Cruise, etc. -- the list is a long one.

what if i decide to also make a video master for digital projection or broadcast, does that have to be at 29.97 or can i still use the 24F master outputed by FC.

I think you misread the manual. If you shoot DV (your choice) and want to go out to film you should shoot 24F. If you shoot HDV (your choice) and you want to you can shoot 24F which has no pulldown on the HDV tape. This will be a higher resolution way to get to a 24F filmout than DV. The HDSDI out adds a pulldown which can be removed in post or by a Teranex Live. If you are not going out to film the choice of frame rate can come down to look. If you go to DV you are recording at 720x480 resolution. If you go to HDV you are recording at 1440x1080 which expands to 1920x1080.(You can't record this way with an XL2) This should make for a much crisper image on larger screens and filmouts assuming you preserve it properly.