IMAGE PROCESSING CIRCUIT AND METHOD FOR REDUCING A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PIXEL VALUES ACROSS AN IMAGE BOUNDARY

An image processing circuit includes a processor that receives at least a portion of an image including a boundary and first and second contiguous pixels disposed on opposite sides of the boundary, the first and second pixels having respective first and second pixel values. The processor generates a boundary value from the first and second pixel values, compares the boundary value to a comparison value, and reduces the difference between the first and second values if the boundary value has a specified relationship to the comparison value. For example, such a processing circuit can be used to reduce blockiness in an image that has undergone block-based digital compression.