Upscaling Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) Season 1 to 4K is a popular community project because the show was shot on film but finished on standard-definition tape, leaving it at 480p. As of 2020, the gold standard for this process involves using Topaz Video Enhance AI (now known as Topaz Video AI). The Standard 2020 Workflow

Pre-Processing: Many guides recommend using AviSynth or StaxRip to deinterlace the footage and restore the original 23.976fps film rate before the AI stage. Recommended Settings (Topaz 2020 Era)

what season 01 looks like in 4k

The difference is immediately apparent in the establishing shots. The station itself—Deep Space 9—has never looked better. In standard definition, the station often looked like a gray blob against a star field. In the AI upscale, you can see the individual panels, the weathering on the hull, and the intricate Cardassian architecture.

Source Preparation: Use high-quality MKV rips from the original DVDs. Season 1 is particularly difficult due to its age and variable framerates. Topaz Model Selection: