What exactly is a Toaster? I've heard it discussed in about a million places. Apparently video editing used to be done with Amigas? Did you digitize the footage into the computer? Or did your computer run a pair of VCRs?
The Video Toaster, was a 4-input video (only) switcher, used for switching from one shot to another (ie, newscasts) with full titling, and analog (tape) video editing system. It was created for the Amiga's video slot, as it was probably the most graphically advanced computer of it's time, and for a few years after. It's video output was set to broadcast standards (NTSC in the US, PAL in Europe). The Toaster also came bundled with Lightwave, which is a 3D animation application. The toaster could also do chroma-keying (ie, blue-background "superman flying" scenes) and had full CG (Character generation) for full-screen titling. It could be used for anthing, from sports overlays, titling like names for newscasts, etc..
It had 4 inputs to switch, 1 output, and 1 monitor output, and could do fades and swiped from 1 input to another. it was usually set up with either an internal (I had a DPS - Digital Processing Systems, TBC III and IV) Time Base Corrector for syncing video, to record. It was an analog, tape-based editing system. Later they released the Video Toaster Flyer board, which was a full hard-disk-based digital video editing system.
The flyer, from what I understand (only acquired 1, and it was re-sold immediately) did video and audio.
The Toaster still exists on the PC platform nowadays,and the VT, from Newtek, Inc. (
www.newtek.com) and the are still qickedly cool!
many a scifi movie was made on Video Toasters, and if any of you ever went to a Tandy Incredible Universe store in the 90's, the had abotu 3-4 of the systems in each store, for controlling the multiple large screens they had.
Tony