Optimized edge order for de-blocking filter

A de-blocking filter in a video processor comprising:

• a memory configured to store reconstructed pixels corresponding to a macroblock of a video image to be filtered, the macroblock having a set of sub-blocks organized into columns, each sub-block having horizontal edges and vertical edges comprising a left vertical edge, a right vertical edge, a top horizontal edge and a bottom horizontal edge;
• a filter controller configured to:
• filter the set of sub-blocks to generate a set of fully filtered sub-blocks in part by filtering either the top horizontal edge or the bottom horizontal edge before filtering the left vertical edge and the right vertical edge,
• wherein the left vertical edge, the right vertical edge, the top horizontal edge, and the bottom horizontal edge each corresponds to a different cycle of the de-blocking filter, and
• wherein, for each of the columns of the sub-blocks, filtering for all sub- blocks in the respective column is completed prior to completing filtering for any column of sub- blocks to the right of the respective column.