A Journey Through New York in 1911… in Color and 4K

The story takes us back to April 2018, when a YouTube user named Guy Jones published a restored version of a recording that the company Svenska Biografteatern obtained during a trip to New York in 1911. That video is fabulous on its own, but Denis Shiryaev decided to go a step further, processing the video with artificial intelligence, so that now we can watch it in 4K and at 60 FPS, but that's not all: He also added a bit of color to the scenes.

Life expectancy did not exceed 50 years. Almost all practicing physicians lacked higher education. Drugs that are considered absolutely illegal today could be purchased in pharmacies, as could fuel for the few cars that circulated. Airmail was just taking its first steps. The Eiffel Tower was the tallest artificial structure on the planet. Amundsen reached the South Pole.

1911 was a year full of details that today simply leave us speechless. Another lifestyle, another pace, other risks, other advantages. Three years later, the world would blow up... but that's a story for another time. Would you like to walk the streets of one of the most important cities of that era? Of course I mean New York, however, what we have to offer today is not based on simple images. It's about a colorized video, in 4K resolution, and at 60 FPS:

The video was originally recorded by representatives of the Swedish company Svenska Biografteatern during their visit to the United States. It was in April 2018 that YouTube user Guy Jones restored and digitized the film, something possible thanks to the fabulous conditions of the original. His modifications were limited to achieving a more consistent playback speed, and he added a bit of ambient sound.

Today, we have Denis Shiryaev's edition, which besides having color, increases the resolution to 4K, improves edge definition, and raises the frame rate to 60 FPS. How did he do it? With the help of artificial intelligence, more precisely, the DeOldify NN system. Granted, the application of color throughout the video is not as good as manual work would be, but it would also not be entirely correct to bombard this historic video with excessive color. What do you think? Leave a comment!

Source: DIY Photography