HD downconvert & capture via Sony S280 deck and BM Decklink HD Pro PCI-x

Hi fellow cud munchers

I am about to try something new (for me) - I hope the cow community can double check the capture & downconvert steps I am about to follow.

I am working on a feature shot in 1080i 50 onto HDCAM from a Sony F900 at 25fps. We have 60 tapes of up to 50 mins each.

It is a low budget film and we can't afford an array (Raid). We have a 1TB external hard drive.

We are happy to edit in SD (DV Pal) initially and output to DVD. Later on, if the film is selected for festivals, we would like to recapture at HD using the XML of the edit.

I will be doing the capture, clip organisation & logging and assembly edit. Then I hand over to the editor to complete on a different computer.

I have a Mac Dual 2.7 GHz PowerPC G5 with 2.5 GB of RAM. I run FCP 5.0.4.

I am hiring a Sony S280 Deck and having a BlackMagic Decklink HD Pro PCI-x card installed. I have received terrific technical support from the BM folk and they have confirmed this is the right card for my requirements.

This is how I will be doing the downconvert & capture:

1. Install the BM card into my Mac. I will have help with this.

2. Connect the deck using 1 BNC cable from the SDI out (on the deck) to the SDI in (on the BM card). Note: this is not the HD SDI connections but the standard def connections, as I am downconverting through the deck.

3. I have studied the Deck manual and find it very confusing. All I need to do is downconvert from HD to SD. I want to use the original timecode on the tapes, not generate a timecode (I understand this is essential for the later recapture using the XML). As far as I can see, there is nowhere in the manual that clearly explains how to do this. The folk I am hiring from don't know enough about the deck to help me. If there is anyone who can point me to a simple explanation of the settings, I would be eternally grateful.

Also, feedback on the overall approach is welcome.

Thanks