NewTek
The Toaster company
The American company that created the Video Toaster, transforming the Amiga into affordable broadcast equipment and launching LightWave 3D into the professional market.
NewTek is the American company that created the Video Toaster, arguably the most significant professional product ever built for the Amiga. Founded by Tim Jenison in 1985 as a one-man garage startup in Topeka, Kansas, NewTek turned a home computer into broadcast-quality video production equipment, democratising television production and birthing LightWave 3D, which became an industry-standard 3D package used on major film and television productions.
Fast facts
- Founded: 1985, by Tim Jenison alone — Paul Montgomery joined later as vice president
- Location: Topeka, Kansas
- Flagship: Video Toaster (1990)
- Bundled software: LightWave 3D
- Impact: Revolutionised affordable broadcast
- Still active: Yes (evolved beyond Amiga)
A Color Computer developer’s company
NewTek’s founder did not arrive from the video industry. When the Amiga appeared, Jenison was at ColorWare, working “as both hardware and software engineer in developing a variety of innovative products for the eight-bit Tandy TRS-80 Color Computer” — most notably CocoMax, “a very impressive MacPaint-like paint program”.
He “left ColorWare and the Color Computer behind quickly to begin NewTek as a one-man garage startup from his home in Topeka, Kansas”.
What drew him and Montgomery to the Amiga was not the specification everyone else quoted. It was HAM mode and, less glamorously, “the machine’s ability to output interlaced video suitable for use with standard video-production and broadcast equipment”. Interlace is the boring half of that pair and the half the Toaster is built on.
The Video Toaster
NewTek’s revolutionary product:
| Feature | Capability |
|---|---|
| Character generator | Broadcast graphics |
| Video switching | Multi-input mixing |
| Effects | Professional transitions |
| Chroma key | Green screen |
| 3D graphics | LightWave included |
| Price | $1,595 — “as capable as gear normally costing $60,000”, per Business Week |
LightWave 3D
Bundled 3D software that became legendary:
| Aspect | Achievement |
|---|---|
| Babylon 5 | Primary CGI tool |
| Star Trek | Visual effects |
| Standalone | Later sold separately |
| Cross-platform | Ported beyond Amiga |
| Industry standard | Professional adoption |
Business model
NewTek’s approach:
- Dramatic undercutting - 95% cheaper than alternatives
- All-in-one solution - Hardware + software bundle
- Professional output - Broadcast-legal signals
- Accessible learning - Usable by non-specialists
- Amiga leverage - Built on capable platform
Television Impact
Video Toaster powered:
- Local TV station graphics
- Cable access productions
- Music video effects
- Corporate video
- Feature film CGI (Babylon 5)
Beyond Amiga
As Amiga declined, NewTek:
- Ported LightWave to other platforms
- Developed PC-based products
- Continued professional video focus
- Maintained LightWave development
Legacy
NewTek demonstrated that professional tools could be democratised. The Video Toaster enabled a generation of content creators who couldn’t afford traditional broadcast equipment. LightWave 3D trained artists who went on to work on major productions. The company proved the Amiga could be the foundation for serious professional work.