AI Restorations Name and Shame

24 Films

AI Restorations Name and Shame

24 Films

While being used correctly, AI can surely assist the restoration process. However, for many of the cases, studios just do a whole AI upscaling pass, and leaving all kinds of weird artifacts and smoothing.

Some serious offenders include:

Alpha Omega Digital from Germany, which has the worst offender of the bunch in Twenty-Four Dollar Island https://slow.pics/c/dFdgCFgn?image-fit=contain making the 1927 film look like a cartoon. It also did restoration and Aguirre and Nosferatu the Vampyre, and supplied them to BFI 4K, causing a big blow-up on reddit
Paramount's I Love Lucy also has this ghastly AI restoration that's applied to almost all of its collection even including extras, even though the source is 35mm, rare for a TV show. It had to issue replacement discs later due to the pressures, but that only replaced one episode.
James Cameron very famously not only likes AI, but also personally likes extensive DNR, motion smoothing, and AI upscaling, so most of his home video release are "ruined" in one way or another.

Thanks nemwolf for contributing to this list

A Child's Impulse (1910)

Director: D.W. Griffith

Film Preservation Society BD unfortunately looks like got an AI upscale pass with the focus being all over the places see https://slow.pics/c/CN22JOv0

A Child's Impulse (1910)

Director: D.W. Griffith

Film Preservation Society BD unfortunately looks like got an AI upscale pass with the focus being all over the places see https://slow.pics/c/CN22JOv0

A Close Shave (1996)

Director: Nick Park

The BBC 4K collection and Shout 4K collection all use the same source, and are all unfortunately using AI upscaling and DNR'ed They are worse than the blurays and the 2023 US Shout Factory collections are even prone to disc-rot.

A Close Shave (1996)

Director: Nick Park

A Grand Day Out (1990)

Director: Nick Park

A Grand Day Out (1990)

Director: Nick Park

Aliens (1986)

Director: James Cameron

Disney UHD has AI enhancement see youtube comparison

Aliens (1986)

Director: James Cameron

Disney UHD has AI enhancement see youtube comparison

A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)

Director: Nick Park

A Matter of Loaf and Death (2008)

Director: Nick Park

Bim, the Little Donkey (1951)

Director: Albert Lamorisse

Criterion Albert Lamorisse Collection BD is AI upscale: https://ibb.co/album/ZBdHH8

Bim, the Little Donkey (1951)

Director: Albert Lamorisse

Criterion Albert Lamorisse Collection BD is AI upscale: https://ibb.co/album/ZBdHH8

Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Korea Nova Media 4k release is AI upscaled

Blue Is the Warmest Color (2013)

Director: Abdellatif Kechiche

Korea Nova Media 4k release is AI upscaled

Dust Devil (1992)

Director: Richard Stanley

The US/Theatrical Cut on the Kino UHD is AI upscaled and has DNR, along with Kino's usual poor compression. Director's Cut looks better but still has poor compression: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23601894&postcount=225

Dust Devil (1992)

Director: Richard Stanley

I Love Lucy (1951)

Director:

Paramount Complete Series BD has horrible AI upscale throughout even for extras, even though the original TV were shot in 35mm.

The worst AI upscale in S7 disc 1can actually be replaced for free through MovieZyng (doesn't need to purchase through MovieZyng), but that's only one disc, and it only updates The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour S1E1 Lucy Takes a Cruise to Havana see caps of comparison https://slow.pics/c/1O2fCeuB

I Love Lucy (1951)

Director:

Paramount Complete Series BD has horrible AI upscale throughout even for extras, even though the original TV were shot in 35mm.