Note that, unlike PHP variables which make efficient use of memory, getting the contents of the output buffer results in a new copy of the buffer being made. This can end up massively increasing the memory requirements of your script if your output is large.
Example code:
<?php
print(memory_get_usage() . "<br>");
ob_start();
for ($i = 0; $i < 5000000; $i++)
print(" ");
print(memory_get_usage() . "<br>");
$foo = ob_get_contents();
print(memory_get_usage() . "<br>");
ob_end_flush();
?>
Output:
351664
5359152
10359256
