Welcome!
Yes, true 24p offers great resolution and an easy workflow.
Pinnacle Studio 9 is on the low- end of choices if you're shooting 24p (high- end). Kind of a mismatch I think, but you should still be able to edit 24p on a regular timeline. Look into Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro which have native support, I've had good experiences in both.
There are 2 types of 24p: "24p normal" (AKA 24p), and "24p advance" (AKA 24pa). If you don't have editing software capable of making 24p timelines, you can still edit 24p footage on any timeline. But 24pa footage needs a 24p timeline for correct playback.
FYI:
24p rocks for web distribution. It compresses much better than interlaced footage.
Progressive footage can be up- rezzed to HD quality much easier:
http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/instanthd.html
Cheers,
a