Marc, It wasn't Tim D's DVD that he got from JVC. It was something done by a JVC Rep.

Ah yes, the old "let's just video Bob's live presentation and burn a DVD out of it" maneuver. Well, you get what you pay for on those deals.

Look no further than the banner ads on this site... but here's the ordering page:

DV Info Net -- The Complete Guide to JVC ProHD Training DVD by Tim Dashwood

it's not Tim's video just a demo a JVC person had given. It covers the basics with the menus and setup for the camera. Good for an out of the box viewing as it covers more than enough to get you started. Very low tech but quality stuff instead of sorting through the manual.

Tims video is the single best instructional video I have ever seen or could even imagine for a camera. I've watched it twice in two days and am really starting to understand this beast. It is worth five times the price and more. My boss even watched it and liked it ALOT and he is picky about stuff.

Just to update the status of things...I visited with someone in my area who has (3) 250's in use. The output of my 200 matched his 250 with regard to the lighting situation. It appears to me that,due to the chip setup of this camera and my previous use of the Sony DSR-250, the lighting pickup is much different. My biggest concern is using it in an ENG situation where I don't have the ability to throw a ton of light on the setting for taping. I've shot several pieces since this started and have added more and more light to finally get something that I don't feel I have to tweak in post due to dimness of image. I'm working with the mid-range gain and throwing as much light as I can and kicking down the IRIS using the Zebra. This brings about something that still calls for adjusting as I'm battling those extreme hot spots. My lighting skills aren't the greatest but certainly I'm getting better pickup out of my eye than from the output of what I record both to tape and teh hard drive. There is a severe learning curve here as to what will and won't work.
In relation to the focus, that seemed to creep in when the iris was jam open and I got a general softness in the video.
I've been told to avoid using the focus assist in the DV mode as it really doesn't seem accurate. I'm not ready setup wise to move to HD at this time and hopefully over time I will and things will pickup.
Thanks again for all the updates and responses from everyone.