With UK broadcaster moving towards AS-11 as the default broadcast file delivery it maybe worth checking excactly what you make before that too is redundent...

A number of options. One is to make a 24fps DVD not a PAL DVD The second is to open the 24fps sequence in a 25fps Avid Project and let Avid add a motion adapter. You can then check sync is ok and mixdown to allow a same as source export of 25fps media.

If you select the sequence and chose modify you can access the sequences settings. However the sequence framerate is determined by the project frame rate.

We're luckier. Many of our clients have evolved teir expectations to meet those limitations. Grading is almost a thing of the past. As long as it has moving pictures and sounds it's good enough for TV. Sadly :-(

We see lots of folks using H264 for inter transfers and they just spend ages encoding and decoding needlessly. H264 is a great codec if you need to make a really small file. But as said that's not needed for a DVD.

Is the sound actually stereo? If it's 2 tracks of the same sound then just dump one channel and double up the other. With a DV capture you are just moving data from the tape to a file so thee really aren't any settings to get right or wrong. Are you sure your system is playing back correctly...

If you create MXF avid media outside Avid then just be aware that it won't have a Project name embedded in the media. So Avids media tool won't show that media as related to your project.

Why is it unbeilevable? If you hacve high res video and audio and need low res video why wouldn't you use the original audio? Wy make new audio unless you need to change it (via the conversion choices for audio)? Making new audio would just take up more space. Ok granted many use the audio convert...

Have you opened the motion adaptors on the 23.98 clips and tried adjusting the settings in there? (maybe promote them to fluid motion)

The new FrameFlex in V7 will do away with the need for Pand&Zoom (hurray) as you will be able to do the same thing directly. I'v heard mention of issues iwth black frames with P&Z if the source files are on a drive that is shared. So trying them at a different location may help.