Video Toaster
The Video Toaster is a combination of hardware and software for the editing and production of NTSC video on personal computers. It comprises various tools for video switching, chroma keying, character generation, animation, and image manipulation.
It was first released in October 1990, and initial versions were heavily based on the Commodore Amiga computer system, using the video-friendly aspects of that system's hardware to deliver the product at an unusually low cost. It was available both as a plug-in card for Amiga systems, or as a turnkey system for use with other computers. The early turnkey systems were little more than a relabeled Amiga 2000 or Amiga 4000 containing a plug-in board, along with software to make it communicate with a PC or Apple Macintosh. It quickly became popular, as the Video Toaster plus an Amiga allowed one to replace $100,000 worth of equipment with about $5,000 worth of equipment.
Later iterations of the product use IBM-compatible systems and work with the Microsoft Windows operating system.
The Video Toaster is made by NewTek. The first wire-wrapped Video Toaster was designed by NewTek engineer Brad Carvey, brother of Saturday Night Live veteran Dana Carvey. Dana's nerdy character Garth Algar in the Wayne's World comedy sketches and movies is based on his brother.
In 2004, the source code for the Amiga version was publicly released.
