Blackmagic Intensity HDMI capture card

The Blackmagic Intensity HDMI capture card works on both PC and Mac platforms, capturing beautiful, uncompressed footage out of any HD-capable box, subsequently streaming it to your waiting RAID array. It retails for a mere $250 (relatively affordable considering what it does), while topping up an additional Benjamin will net you the Pro model that comes with breakout component/S-video cables which allow you to bypass HDCP. If you have a strong interest in video editing, this affordable HDMI capture card is right up your alley. Talk about a useful 1x PCI-Express card to have at home.