Avoiding stalls to accelerate decoding pixel data depending on in-loop operations

A video coding apparatus, a decoder and a method for deferring the decoding of blocks of pixel data not yet ready for decoding during which other blocks of pixel data can be decoded nearly immediately. By deferring decoding and allowing the decoder to continue to successive blocks, the decoder can reduce stalls in the decoding process, which in turn, can decrease idle time in the decoder as well as power consumption that otherwise occurs during such idle time. In one embodiment, an exemplary method decodes a bit stream representing video images. The method includes deblocking blocks of a first frame as first frame blocks, determining a block of a second frame depends on a reference block of the blocks, and deferring decoding of the block. In at least one embodiment, the method can include decoding other blocks of the second frame at least partially concurrent with deferring decoding of the block.