Abstract: A hardware median filter, particularly useful for processing high resolutions imagery data is coupled to a set of line buffers to which pixel data for an image of interest is applied, to define a segment or window within the overall image. This multibit data is then propagated through a set of n-pipelined filter processing sections (where n is the number of bits/pixel). Each section examines a particular bit position of the windowed pixels, the first section examining the most significant bit, while the final section examines the least significant bit. Each section contains a set of input registers which store M pixel-data values that have been coupled to it from the previous section. Each respective section contains a majority decision circuit that looks at a particular bit position and decides which bit (zero or one) represents the majority.