4by4 and OTT Wavve Usher in a 'Second Golden Age' for K-Content

On July 4, content artificial intelligence (AI) solutions company 4by4 announced that it has revived popular dramas from the 2000s in ultra-high definition in collaboration with Wavve, South Korea's leading OTT platform.

4by4 and Wavve have maintained a cooperative relationship. Since last year, 4by4 has participated in Wavve's "New Classic" project, using its proprietary AI solution "PIXELL" to enhance 2000s hit dramas such as the director's cuts of "My Lovely Samsoon," "Princess Hours," "Full House," and "Coffee Prince" to 4K-level ultra-high definition.

Among the dramas that 4by4 restored to 4K quality last year, the director's cut of "My Lovely Samsoon" ranked first in attracting new paid subscribers to Wavve. It also became a major topic of conversation, as the average completion rate per episode exceeded two-thirds, reflecting high viewer interest.

This year, 4by4 has also participated in reviving 20 classic K-drama titles from the 2000s (a total of 320 episodes) in ultra-high definition together with Wavve. The dramas enhanced through this project were all considered "national dramas," each achieving viewership ratings of over 40% during their original broadcasts and creating a nationwide phenomenon.

The first batch of dramas released after image quality enhancement includes a total of six titles: "All In" (2003), considered the pioneer of multiple rewatching; "What Happened in Bali" (2004), starring Jo In-sung and Ha Ji-won; "Lovers in Paris" (2004), the breakout work of writer Kim Eun-sook; "Couple or Trouble" (2006), starring Oh Ji-ho and Han Ye-seul; "My Man's Woman" (2007), which recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after being mentioned in various variety shows; and "Time Between Dog and Wolf" (2007), starring Lee Joon-gi and Jung Kyung-ho.

These works not only enjoyed explosive popularity at the time of their original broadcast, but have also consistently received requests for high-definition restoration and re-release as the trend of revisiting past content spreads among Generation Z viewers.

Going beyond simply improving the original video quality, the company meticulously carried out overall post-production work, including upscaling precision, color correction, and noise reduction, to ensure a highly satisfying viewing experience even on the latest display devices.

The PIXELL solution, which enables one-click image quality enhancement, can reduce the time required to about one one-hundredth compared to manual post-production using dedicated programs. Based on its unrivaled image enhancement technology and extensive experience, 4by4 plans to further improve the quality of over 14 additional drama titles in the future.

The second batch, scheduled for release next month, will include not only additional dramas but also popular variety shows that have long been requested by viewers, such as "Infinite Challenge," "We Got Married," and "Happiness Stock Company - 10,000 Won Happiness." This will further diversify the content lineup.

Bae Sungwan, Head of Solution Business Division at 4by4, stated, "This project is a concrete example of how 4by4's image enhancement technology can recreate value in the content industry," adding, "We will continue to strengthen our role as a technology company supporting the global expansion of K-content by cooperating with domestic and international content holders and OTT platforms."

4by4 provides the "PIXELL" solution not only as an API service, as in the Wavve case, but also in various forms without limitation, such as an on-premise option that can be installed directly on servers. Recently, the company has been accelerating the expansion of customized solutions for broadcasters, content post-production markets, and educational infrastructure sectors.