Why does the Sony Handycam have a better screen picture than video capture?

[videoconverter11]

I am currently using a Sony Handycam Digital 8 camcorder with up to 520 Lines of Horizontal Resolution. When I play my old hi-8 tapes on the camcorder, the little 2.5 inch screen seems to produce a better and clearer picture than when I video capture it using windv via a firewire connection. Is my mind playing tricks on me or does some video quality degradation occur from the firewire cable to my computer? Thanks!

[Cornucopia]

Tricks.

Such as downsampling.
And possibly the difference between seeing it in native Interlaced vs. processed de-interlaced.

Scott

[hech54]

By looking at the camcorder screen you are looking at tons of information on a screen the size of a postage stamp(compared to even a computer screen). All of my old VHS captures look awesome on my iPhone, and look like normal VHS material on my computer screen....and even worse on my television.
Everything looks great when displayed on something the size(by comparison) of a postage stamp.