| Option | Quality | Effort | |--------|---------|--------| | Official DVD remaster (2017 reprint) | Best source before fan upscales | Buy ($50-80 full series) | | Use your own AI software (Topaz Video AI) | Excellent if you tweak settings | High (time + $300 software) | | Newer fan upscale (post-2023) | Much better than 2020 | Search Reddit for “DS9 V3 upscale” | | Watch on streaming (Netflix/Paramount+) | SD only, but convenient | Subscription |
Recommendation: If you own the DVDs, consider running Season 1 through Topaz Video AI with the “Iris” or “Proteus” model. Even a modern free tool like Flowframes + RIFE can outperform a 2020 upscale. i--- Star Trek Deep Space 9 S01 Ai Upscale 1080p- -2020
While the 2020 upscales were a labor of love, they are not without flaws. AI is not a magic wand; it is a guessing machine. | Option | Quality | Effort | |--------|---------|--------|
Critics of the 2020 upscales often point out that the AI can sometimes create "false details"—textures that weren't in the original shot. This can lead to backgrounds looking like oil paintings rather than film. Furthermore, upscaling cannot fix the underlying issue of the composite video tape; the CGI effects (like the shapeshifting Changelings) often look lower resolution than the live-action footage surrounding them, creating a visual disconnect. While the 2020 upscales were a labor of
| Player | Why | |--------|-----| | VLC | Plays anything, simple | | MPV | Best quality scaling for 1080p → 4K screens | | PotPlayer (Windows) | Advanced sharpening filters if upscale looks soft |
Unlike some upscales that re-encode audio to lossy AAC, this 2020 release preserved the original Dolby Digital 5.1 track from the DVDs, only repackaged it into an MKV container. For audiophiles, this was a relief: the majestic Deep Space Nine theme song (with its haunting French horn melody) remained uncompromised.
Absolutely. The "i--- Star Trek Deep Space 9 S01 Ai Upscale 1080p- -2020" release proved three things to the fan community: