Do I need to convert my 50i footage?

[inertiat]

Hi, I'm kind of new to this and this may apply also to the software section so sorry for any mistakes and thanks for any help.

I recently bought a Panasonic HS300 (PAL format); I've shot some stuff at 1920x1080 50i. The intent is to use the footage in a motion graphics piece which will mean taking it into After Effects. The final output will be for the PC - not TV or DVD.

Playing it back on Windows Media Player it looks good but I'm not sure whether or not it needs to be converted to progressive for it to look better. Do I need to and how would I go about doing this?

I have Premiere Pro, After Effects and Adobe Media Encoder at my disposal. I can also buy other software if necessary.

May thanks for your answers.

[edDV]

What will be the final export goal?

What will you be doing in After Effects?
Short effects segments or longer?
Does all the video go through After Effects?

[inertiat]

The final export goal is say a 2 minute piece to be played on PC or the web.

I'll be adding graphic and typographic elements on top of footage. I may also track elements in the video and attach graphics to them.

Those kinds of shots will be about 10 seconds long each. I do also plan to do some longer shots.

I edit all my shots in After Effects and then bring them together in Premiere Pro as Quicktime files though sometimes I just stay in After Effects.

[edDV]

You should deinterlace the video in AVIsynth prior to import into AE. If motion is low, you can use Adobe software to deinterlace.

[inertiat]

Thanks very much, I'll try that out.
While I'm at it, could anyone recommend a good book or site to explain the technical workings of video - progressive vs interlaced (I know the basics, but not the in-depth stuff), fields, frame rate etc. I'm a designer by trade but would like to get a solid understanding of the subject of video capture.