Desktop video refers to a phenomenon lasting from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s when the graphics capabilities of personal computers such as Commodore's Amiga, the Apple Macintosh II and specially-upgraded IBM PC compatibles had advanced to the point where individuals and local broadcasters could use them for video production. Genlock cards and especially the Newtek Video Toaster were commonly used in Amiga and PC systems, while Mac systems had the SuperMac Video Spigot and Radius VideoVision cards. Apple later introduced the Quadra 840AV and Centris 660AV systems to address this market. Desktop video was a parallel movement to Desktop publishing and enabled many small production houses and local TV stations to produce their own original content. Similarly to desktop publishing, use of the term petered out as it gradually became the norm for any kind of video production.

External links

• book
• video segment from 1990 (archive.org)
• " Source of Amiga Video Toaster Software Released" (Slashdot)
• the early use of personal computers at the BBC