I've just posted 2.0.5 and as well, a new version of MPressionist. For the MPressionist.X update notes, see the blog.

2.0.5 brings some bug fixes, new cosmetic changes to the user interface, and some tweaks to the interlaced encoding templates.

In my tests, it is hard to beat MegaPEG.X at 29.97i with the algorithm set to 'Best Fields'. In this mode, we generate 4 motion vectors per macroblock (instead of two) and use exhaustive search. You pay in encoding time, however, with difficult, high motion material weighing in at a hefty 25:1, that's 25 hours for one hour of footage. If you have any trouble on the default 29.97i or 25i, try switching the Quant Matrix to the MPEG default. Seems simple enough.

If you're in a hurry, or making a quick comp so you can start roughing out your project in DVDSP, just de-interlace and use a 29.97p or 23.976p template with a 'Good' or 'Fast' algorithm. They clock in between 2:1 and 4:1, depending on your CPU . If you've got plenty of room in your bit budget, you'll be suprised at how fast and good it will look.

Keep in mind that when we make changes to the presets, we are only modifying settings that you can adjust on your own. We're simply trying to establish a good jumping off point for fine-tuning an encode to your particular material.