Low complexity deblocking method for DCT coded video signals

A new method to remove blocking artefacts in low bit-rate block-based video coding, such as MPEG-4 and H.264, is presented. A low computational deblocking filter with five modes is proposed, including three frequency-related modes (smooth mode, intermediate mode, and complex mode for low-frequency, mid-frequency, and high-frequency regions, respectively), one special mode (steep mode for a large offset between two blocks) and a refined mode (corner mode for the corner of four blocks). A mode decision procedure is also needed to decide which mode is given by observing pixel behaviour around the block boundary. To take the masking effect of the human visual system (HVS) into consideration, the filter for smooth mode is designed to be much stronger than that for complex mode, because human eyes are more sensitive to smooth regions. Experimental results show that, in most cases, the proposed algorithm removes more blocking artefacts than MPEG-4 deblocking filters do, and improves both subjective and objective image quality. The proposed algorithm keeps the computation lower than MPEG-4 and is suitable for most block-based image and video coding systems.