Decoding of directional DCT-coded images: A total variational approach with directionality

This paper presents a novel decoding approach for directional DCT-coded images. In contrast to the conventional approach of performing the inverse transform, our new approach takes the decoding as a general restoration problem in which the total variation (TV) based optimization has been utilized. In this TV-based approach, we propose to measure the gradient according to the directional coding mode determined for each image block at the encoder side. We also consider some neighboring blocks so that possible blocking artifacts can be reduced after the decoding. Experimental results are included to verify the effectiveness of this novel decoding approach.