Elgato EyeTV 500 HTDV Mac tuner card reviewed

Elgato's EyeTV 500 HDTV tuner card and DVR software package for the Mac looks like it packs a pretty solid punch. According to reviewers at eff.org, it shines in comparison to PC-based HD tuner cards and software. Unfortunately, it's $350, which is a lot more than the $150 cards you can get on the PC side. Other problems include software-driven playback (as opposed to hardware-optimized), which means you'll need a speedier Mac (G5 or better) to really get the most out of this thing. All of you thinking you could pair this with a new MiniMac may need to rethink your plans unless you have another media player to play-back the files the Elgato captures. However, with a nice interface, editing features (kill commercials), and other nice add-ons, this would be the package for Mac-hedz to get before the FCC's hammer comes down this spring.