If you are comparing different versions from that era, these were the other top-rated community releases:

The removal of "comb" lines from the original DVD sources without losing motion fluidity.

If you prefer to find existing 2020 upscales rather than doing it yourself: Project Defiant

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9) to 4K became a popular hobbyist project, primarily using Topaz Video Enhance AI

: ProRes 422 (to avoid further compression during the process) or PNG sequence. Common Pitfalls

While 2020 was the breakthrough year, it set the standard. Modern upscales (2024-2025) use newer models that handle faces even better, but many fans argue that the had a "filmic" organic look that later, more aggressive algorithms lost. It remains the gold standard reference point for DS9 restoration discussions.

Due to copyright, this project exists in the "data restoration" grey market. Search for "Project Defiant DS9 S01 2160p" in the usual digital archives.