Efficient robust filtering technique for blocking artifacts reduction

This paper presents a new post-processing algorithm based on a robust statistical model to remove the blocking artifacts observed in block discrete cosine transform (BDCT)-based image compression standards. The novelty is the implementation of a new robust weight function for the block artifact reduction. The blocking artifacts in an image are treated as an outlier random variable. The robust formulation aims at eliminating the artifacts outliers, while preserving the edge structures in the restored image. Extensive simulation results and comparative studies demonstrate that the presented method provides superior results in terms of pixel-wise (PSNR) and perceptual (SSIM) measures.