A YouTuber named Denis Shiryaev is popular for upscaling old videos and photos in his channel. His works allow the viewers to walk through New York in 1911, or even ride Wuppertal's flying train during the 20th century. 

Historians Claim Upscaling Historical Images and Videos Could Lead to Problems
(Photo : Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JANUARY 12: The YouTube logo appears on screen before a keynote address by Vice President of Global Content Partnerships at YouTube Robert Kyncl at the 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show at the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino January 12, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 13 and features more than 3,100 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to about 140,000 attendees.

Also Read: Australia Gets $250 Million Facial Recognition Upgrade that Will Be Used to Register to Vote and File for Bankruptcy

His channel showcases the technology of his Poland-based company called Neural Love, which uses a combination of algorithms and networks to overhaul historical images. He was able to clean, repair, colorize, stabilize, and unscuffed the earliest surviving film. 

The YouTuber corrected the old video to 60 frames every second, upscaling it to vivid 4K resolution. Thanks to Shiryaev's work, viewers were able to feel like they are time traveling. 

"That is something that our clients and even the commenters on YouTube have pointed out consistently," said Elizabeth Peck, one of the YouTuber's colleagues at Neural Love. 

"It brings you more into that real-life feeling of, 'I'm here watching someone do this', whereas before you're looking more at something more artistic or cinematic," she added. 

However, although the Shiryaev's works are fascinating, some historians claim that modernizing century-old archives leads to problems. Even colorizing black and white pictures is criticized.  

Why historians want to upscale historical archives to stop

Emily Mark-FitzGerald, the associate professor at University College Dublin's School of Art History and Cultural Policy, said that upscaled historical archives could make people think that photographs are just a kind of uncomplicated window the past.

Historians Claim Upscaling Historical Images and Videos Could Lead to Problems
(Photo : Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
2nd November 1966: England's triumphant World Cup winning team. With the Jules Rimet Trophy are (back row, left to right) Harold Shepherdson, Nobby Stiles, Roger Hunt, Gordon Banks, Jackie Charlton, George Cohen, Richard Wilson and manager Alf Ramsey; (front row) Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, Bobby Moore, Alan Ball and Bobby Charlton.

However, Peck said that their company makes sure that their clients know that Neural Love sees the huge difference between the enhancement and restoration aspects. She added that the company considers removing noise, scratches, dust, or other imperfections picked up during the process as a less ethically fraught process than colorizing and upscaling. 

Peck clarified that they are really returning the old film to its original state.  

For more news updates about other social media platforms, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes. 

Also Read: The Rock Is the Most Popular WWE Superstar with 213M Combined Twitter and Instagram followers Despite Not Fighting

This article is owned by TechTimes,

Written by: Giuliano de Leon.

ⓒ 2024 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Join the Discussion