Over the last three years, the university has been developing a system of complex mathematical equations called algorithms that, when applied to aging film, can spot damage, assess what the footage looked like originally, and restore images to pristine condition. The program requires little human guidance beyond initial settings. If a frame is scratched, for example, Revival identifies the scar as an anomaly by comparing the frame against preceding and subsequent images. Chong said the toughest challenge was refining Revival so it can consistently distinguish between signs of aging and deliberate movie effects such as snowfall. At first, the program was fooled into assuming a long scratch in the film was supposed to be there because it ran through many frames in approximately the same position.
Engineers appear to be on the right track.
The attention may prove well-deserved. Chong claims a 70-minute film such as Snow White could be restored by Revival in a week instead of a year. That's the kind of productivity gain that information technologists hunger for. The university anticipates a substantial market. Demand for classic films, restored to digital broadcast quality, is expected to soar with the proliferation of digital TV over the next several years.