The NewTek Video Toaster is a combination of hardware and software for the editing and production of standard-definition NTSC and PAL video on personal computers. It comprises various tools for video switching, chroma keying, character generation, animation, and image manipulation. It was the Emmy Award winning product that led to the desktop video revolution.[citation needed] The Video Toaster was designed by NewTek founder Tim Jenison in Topeka, Kansas.

Engineer Brad Carvey (brother of American actor/comedian Dana Carvey) built the first wire wrap prototype, and Steve Kell wrote the software for the prototype. Many other people worked on the Toaster as it developed. The Toaster was released as a commercial product in October 1990 for the Commodore Amiga 2000 computer system, taking advantage of the video-friendly aspects of that system's hardware to deliver the product at an unusually low cost ($1499).

The Amiga was unique among personal computers in that its graphics could run at television's NTSC and PAL video frequencies (15.75 kHz). The hardware component was a full-sized card which went into the Amiga's unique single video expansion slot rather than the standard bus slots, and therefore could not be used with the A500 and A1000 models. The card had several BNC connectors in the rear, which accepted four video input sources and provided two outputs (preview and program).

This initial generation system was essentially a real-time four-channel video switcher. A user still needed three VTRs to perform A/B roll as the Toaster was not a non-linear editor (NLE). An NLE would be added later, with the invention of the Video Toaster Flyer.

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