Techniques for identifying and reducing block artifacts

An apparatus comprising:

• blockiness detection logic configured to
• identify locations of potential blocking artifacts in an image without receipt of identification of coding parameters associated with a compressed version of the image, wherein to identify locations of potential blocking artifacts, the blockiness detection logic is to:
• determine a horizontal gradient for a selected pixel in the image;
• determine whether the horizontal gradient for the selected pixel when compared to horizontal gradients of other pixels in the same row as that of the selected pixel indicates a sudden change in pixel intensity;
• determine whether a length exceeds a threshold length, wherein the length is of adjacent pixels in the same column as that of the selected pixel and each of the adjacent pixels has a horizontal gradient that indicates a sudden change in pixel intensity;
• and
• identify the adjacent pixels as potentially having blocking artifacts in response to the length exceeding the threshold length;
• determine a strength of blocking artifacts in the image;
• and
• a bilateral filter to apply filtering to the image based in part on the location and strength of blocking artifacts, wherein parameters used by the bilateral filter are selected based in part on the strength of blocking artifacts.

A system comprising:

• a display;
• at least one antenna;
• a radio communicatively coupled to the at least one antenna;
• and
• a computer communicatively coupled to the radio and the display, the computer configured to:
• identify locations of potential blocking artifacts independent of prior identification of coding parameters associated with a compressed version of the image, wherein to identify locations of potential blocking artifacts, the computer is to:
• determine a horizontal gradient for a selected pixel in the image,
• determine whether the horizontal gradient for the selected pixel relative to horizontal gradients of other pixels in the same row as that of the selected pixel indicates a sudden change in intensity,
• determine whether a length exceeds a threshold length, wherein the length is of adjacent pixels in the same column as that of the selected pixel and each of the adjacent pixels has a horizontal gradient that indicates a sudden change relative to other adjacent pixels in the same row, and
• identify the adjacent pixels as potentially having blocking artifacts in response to the length exceeding the threshold length;
• determine a strength of blocking artifacts in the image;
• select filter parameters based in part on the strength of blocking artifacts;
• apply filtering to the image based in part on the locations and strength of blocking artifacts, wherein to apply filtering, the computer is to use the selected filter parameters;
• and
• provide a filtered version of the image for display.