CSI style zoom in and enhance now possible?

Question

I have always thought the way they zoom in and enhance on TV and movies was strictly impossible. Essentially because you cannot create more information that there is to begin with.

There were ways to get better looking or clearer images like with re-sampling, but never to the extent seen on film.

Now, it seems that is not true.

I was reading this article, and it seems they have a way to do that now?

Or, is this just a better version of what was already possible? You still need to have a fairly clear image to start with? Otherwise, what are the limits of this technique?

I always thought it was done by comparing pixels to neighbors and trying to predict/write what is suppose to be there. I think it's some high level math. — , Nov 14 '10 at 09:57
This seems to be a good question for http://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/11036/computer-vision if only that already existed. — bjoernz, Nov 14 '10 at 17:37

score 2 · Answer 1 · answered Nov 14 '10 at 10:34

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There is something called Super-resolution. Some companies claim to use fractal theory to enhance images when they are upscaled. But, what you see in most movies is just fiction.

answered Nov 14 '10 at 10:34

Ross

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score 1 · Answer 2 · answered Nov 14 '10 at 17:10

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Image enhancement always involves pixel interpolation (aka. prediction) - in one way or the other. Interpolation can be good, bad or whatever, but it will never out-perform real pixel which was recorded by imaging device at greater resolution.

answered Nov 14 '10 at 17:10

Agnius Vasiliauskas

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CSI style zoom in and enhance now possible?

2 Answers2