DS9 was produced during a transition period. Live-action scenes were filmed on 35mm film, but the post-production—visual effects, compositing, and editing—was completed in 480i video. Remastering requires scanning the original 35mm film, which is expensive and time-consuming.
While basic upscaling algorithms simply stretch pixels and blur the edges, machine learning works differently. Neural networks are trained on millions of reference images. They analyze a low-resolution image, recognize what the object is supposed to look like (such as a human face, a metal hull, or a starfield), and intelligently invent the missing pixels.
Project Defiant: DS9 1080p+ Upscale Now Available : r/startrek star trek deep space 9 s01 ai upscale 4k 2020 best
A proper 4K AI upscale of DS9 Season 1 involves a multi-step pipeline. Fans who achieved the best results in 2020 did not just drop a file into a program and hit "convert." They treated it like a digital restoration project. 1. Inverse Telecine (IVTC) and Deinterlacing
Muddy color separation inherent to composite video. DS9 was produced during a transition period
Season 1 of DS9 became the primary testing ground. As the oldest season, it suffered from the worst video noise, poorest lighting, and most primitive CGI. If AI could fix Season 1, it could fix anything. How AI Upscaling Restores DS9 Season 1
When you look at the best community upscales of Season 1, the differences are night and day. While basic upscaling algorithms simply stretch pixels and
Hruska did not simply run the episodes through a single AI filter. He developed an advanced workflow that became the gold standard. He used powerful hardware, including an AMD Threadripper 3990X and an Intel Core i9-10980XE, both equipped with an RTX 2080, to run dozens of tests. The project's final encode for Season 1 was codenamed "Rubicon," a 23.976fps constant frame rate conversion of the original variable frame rate content, created using a synthesis of tools including Handbrake, StaxRip, DaVinci Resolve, and Topaz Video Enhance AI.
Before throwing the files into an AI program, use an open-source tool like or AviSynth to perform an Inverse Telecine (IVTC). This reverts the 29.97 fps broadcast frame rate back to the native 23.976 fps film speed, removing redundant frames and eliminating interlacing lines. Step 3: Topaz Video AI Settings
To understand why AI upscaling is a miracle for DS9 Season 1, you have to understand how television was produced in the 1990s.