(like Topaz Labs) are most popular for these projects.
| Aspect | DVD (480i) | Early 2020 AI upscale | “Better” 2020–2022 upscale | |--------|------------|----------------------|-----------------------------| | Interlacing | Combing artifacts | Sometimes left in | Proper QTGMC deinterlaced | | Edge detail | Soft, aliased | Over-sharpened halos | Natural sharpness, slight grain | | Skin texture | Blocky | Wax-like smooth | Retained noise + minor detail | | Starfield shots | Pixelated | Ringing artifacts | Clean, stable | | File size per ep | ~1.5 GB | ~3–5 GB | ~8–12 GB (4K HEVC) |
So, the million-dollar question: is this fan-made, 2020 AI upscale actually an improvement?
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Before they could resolve their unease, archival seizures began across the station. Holos that had lived tucked in personal vaults flickered with additions: a child in the background of a market scene who had never been there before, a subtle smile added to a photograph of a First Minister, a whisper of a voice layered under a standard station announcement. At first the alterations seemed innocuous — improvements, an embellishment of faded life — but the pattern intensified. The Palimpsest Collective kept apologizing, offering patches and recalibrations, and their technicians assured everyone these were edge artifacts of a learning process.
In May 2020, projects like gained popularity for delivering a 4K AI-upscaled version of Season 1. This approach used machine learning to upscale the DVD sources, resulting in a substantial improvement over the standard, low-resolution streams. Why the 2020 S01 Upscale Was "Better"
At the forefront of this movement in 2020 was Joel Hruska, a contributor for ExtremeTech, who launched a comprehensive project he called the . (like Topaz Labs) are most popular for these projects
This isn’t an official Paramount release, but rather a fan-made enhancement using AI upscaling tools. The goal is to improve the standard-definition (480i) original Season 1 footage to near-4K quality.
Also visually check:
From the computer terminals on the Defiant (introduced later, but present on the station in S01) to the Bajoran text on screens, the AI reconstructs graphic design elements beautifully. Font edges become razor-sharp, making the background lore of the station feel much more tangible. The Dark Side of the Upscale: Where It Fails This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted
But in 2020, something changed. The AI revolution arrived at Deep Space 9.
For any Trek fan who refused to rewatch DS9 because “it looks like garbage,” search out the . Your patience has been rewarded. The prophets have smiled upon AI.
It preserves the original artistic intent (no “special edition” changes) while making the show watchable on a 65-inch 4K screen. You stop noticing the pixels and start falling into the story—which is the entire point.
One of the massive improvements in the 2020-era models over earlier iterations is temporal consistency. Older upscales suffered from a "boiling" effect, where textures shifted unnervingly from frame to frame. The 2020 models successfully stabilized these pixels, ensuring faces and backgrounds remain solid as the camera moves. What Actually Looks Better?
The efforts often originated from community forums like Reddit's /r/DeepSpaceNine or /r/startrek, where fans shared their projects.
