1. An apparatus configured to process video blocks comprising: a decoder operable to synthesize an un-filtered reconstructed video unit, wherein a video unit is at least one of video block and video frame; an artifact filter operable to receive the un-filtered reconstructed video unit, and that generates a filtered reconstructed video unit; a memory buffer operable to store either the filtered reconstructed video unit or the un-filtered reconstructed video unit; and an artifact evaluator operable to update the memory buffer.