I'm actually using PD11, as of this week upgraded from PD10, and like it very much, so that provides the answer to your first query. PD10 and PD11 will accept AVCHD, but they will not allow me to make basic cuts to raw clips and allow me to return them to my library as AVCHD. I am making some quite complex educational videos from large numbers of clips, and I was finding that my 'raw' video library was taking up an awful lot of hard drive space without some basic trimming out of 'dross'.
However, having Googled for more information about keyframes, and checked out their use in PD11, I am inclined to go along with your suggestion and ignore them!
MichaelJ70
Michael J.