I guess this is inevitable since the show lasted almost a decade, but the video quality changes across the seasons

I can't really tell if there was a specific jump in quality, or it was gradual improvements each season. But after watching season 6 then going back and watching some bits of old seasons I really noticed the difference.

However, does anyone else actually prefer the aesthetics in the earlier seasons? Maybe it's just nostalgia, but it seems to have a kind of "warmth" with the lower quality of the older seasons. Something about the more crisp image of later ones makes seem a little colder or darker.

Maybe there's something else apart from the clarity of the image, something to do with lighting? Maybe it was even a conscious decision? Or possibly I'm just imagining things.