Blurry footage recording - cannot get good quality!

[bubble248]

I have been trying to convert my mini DV tapes onto my laptop using my camcorder and a video capture device. I can get footage and sound and know how to record, so technically I can record these tapes except I have been trying what feels like every setting for hours and I cannot get good quality footage! I want to make sure that I am getting the best quality that I can before converting the many tapes that I have and I have been looking at help videos and information online and now I don't know whether the video capture device is not good enough or whether I need an encoder. I also don't really know what resolutions I should be choosing though I've changed them many times. The preview window always looks clear enough but then when I looked at the saved recording it's pretty pixelated, whereas the video footage itself is very clear when I view it on camera. I don't know what to do next, can anyone offer any advice? My video capture device was about £20, do I need to get a more expensive one? Thank you for any advice anyone can offer!