diff --git a/app/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/fragment/ItemlistFragment.java b/app/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/fragment/ItemlistFragment.java
index be9a9c12d..51dfcf153 100644
--- a/app/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/fragment/ItemlistFragment.java
+++ b/app/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/fragment/ItemlistFragment.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import de.danoeh.antennapod.adapter.DefaultActionButtonCallback;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.adapter.FeedItemlistAdapter;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.asynctask.DownloadObserver;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.asynctask.FeedRemover;
+import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.asynctask.PicassoProvider;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.dialog.ConfirmationDialog;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.dialog.DownloadRequestErrorDialogCreator;
 import de.danoeh.antennapod.core.feed.EventDistributor;
@@ -362,12 +363,20 @@ public class ItemlistFragment extends ListFragment {
 
         TextView txtvTitle = (TextView) header.findViewById(R.id.txtvTitle);
         TextView txtvAuthor = (TextView) header.findViewById(R.id.txtvAuthor);
+        ImageView imgvBackground = (ImageView) header.findViewById(R.id.imgvBackground);
         ImageView imgvCover = (ImageView) header.findViewById(R.id.imgvCover);
         ImageButton butShowInfo = (ImageButton) header.findViewById(R.id.butShowInfo);
 
         txtvTitle.setText(feed.getTitle());
         txtvAuthor.setText(feed.getAuthor());
 
+        Picasso.with(getActivity())
+                .load(feed.getImageUri())
+                .placeholder(R.color.image_readability_tint)
+                .error(R.color.image_readability_tint)
+                .transform(PicassoProvider.blurTransformation)
+                .into(imgvBackground);
+
         Picasso.with(getActivity())
                 .load(feed.getImageUri())
                 .fit()
diff --git a/app/src/main/res/layout/feeditemlist_header.xml b/app/src/main/res/layout/feeditemlist_header.xml
index fc38c6797..e55ef4c3e 100644
--- a/app/src/main/res/layout/feeditemlist_header.xml
+++ b/app/src/main/res/layout/feeditemlist_header.xml
@@ -6,6 +6,12 @@
     android:layout_height="@dimen/feeditemlist_header_height"
     tools:context="de.danoeh.antennapod.activity.MainActivity">
 
+    <ImageView
+        android:id="@+id/imgvBackground"
+        style="@style/BigBlurryBackground"
+        android:layout_width="match_parent"
+        android:layout_height="match_parent" />
+
     <ImageView
         android:id="@+id/imgvCover"
         android:layout_width="@dimen/thumbnail_length_onlinefeedview"
@@ -29,7 +35,7 @@
         android:layout_marginTop="8dp"
         android:background="?attr/selectableItemBackground"
         android:contentDescription="@string/show_info_label"
-        android:src="?attr/action_about" />
+        android:src="@drawable/ic_info_white_24dp" />
 
     <TextView
         android:id="@+id/txtvTitle"
@@ -43,7 +49,10 @@
         android:layout_toLeftOf="@id/butShowInfo"
         android:layout_toRightOf="@id/imgvCover"
         android:ellipsize="end"
-        android:maxLines="2" />
+        android:maxLines="2"
+        android:shadowColor="@color/black"
+        android:shadowRadius="3"
+        android:textColor="@color/white" />
 
     <TextView
         android:id="@+id/txtvAuthor"
@@ -56,7 +65,9 @@
         android:layout_toRightOf="@id/imgvCover"
         android:ellipsize="end"
         android:lines="1"
-        android:textColor="?android:attr/textColorSecondary"
+        android:shadowColor="@color/black"
+        android:shadowRadius="3"
+        android:textColor="@color/white"
         android:textSize="@dimen/text_size_small" />
 
 
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/PicassoProvider.java b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/PicassoProvider.java
index 1ed29c23a..0b136afe7 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/PicassoProvider.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/de/danoeh/antennapod/core/asynctask/PicassoProvider.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import com.squareup.picasso.OkHttpDownloader;
 import com.squareup.picasso.Picasso;
 import com.squareup.picasso.Request;
 import com.squareup.picasso.RequestHandler;
+import com.squareup.picasso.Transformation;
 
 import org.apache.commons.io.IOUtils;
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
@@ -209,4 +210,253 @@ public class PicassoProvider {
             options.inJustDecodeBounds = false;
         }
     }
+
+    public static final int BLUR_RADIUS = 10;
+    public static final String BLUR_KEY = "blur";
+
+    public static final Transformation blurTransformation = new Transformation() {
+        @Override
+        public Bitmap transform(Bitmap source) {
+            Bitmap result =  fastblur(source, BLUR_RADIUS);
+            source.recycle();
+            return result;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public String key() {
+            return BLUR_KEY;
+        }
+    };
+
+    public static Bitmap fastblur(Bitmap sentBitmap, int radius) {
+
+        // Stack Blur v1.0 from
+        // http://www.quasimondo.com/StackBlurForCanvas/StackBlurDemo.html
+        //
+        // Java Author: Mario Klingemann <mario at quasimondo.com>
+        // http://incubator.quasimondo.com
+        // created Feburary 29, 2004
+        // Android port : Yahel Bouaziz <yahel at kayenko.com>
+        // http://www.kayenko.com
+        // ported april 5th, 2012
+
+        // This is a compromise between Gaussian Blur and Box blur
+        // It creates much better looking blurs than Box Blur, but is
+        // 7x faster than my Gaussian Blur implementation.
+        //
+        // I called it Stack Blur because this describes best how this
+        // filter works internally: it creates a kind of moving stack
+        // of colors whilst scanning through the image. Thereby it
+        // just has to add one new block of color to the right side
+        // of the stack and remove the leftmost color. The remaining
+        // colors on the topmost layer of the stack are either added on
+        // or reduced by one, depending on if they are on the right or
+        // on the left side of the stack.
+        //
+        // If you are using this algorithm in your code please add
+        // the following line:
+        //
+        // Stack Blur Algorithm by Mario Klingemann <mario@quasimondo.com>
+
+        Bitmap bitmap = sentBitmap.copy(sentBitmap.getConfig(), true);
+
+        if (radius < 1) {
+            return (null);
+        }
+
+        int w = bitmap.getWidth();
+        int h = bitmap.getHeight();
+
+        int[] pix = new int[w * h];
+        Log.e("pix", w + " " + h + " " + pix.length);
+        bitmap.getPixels(pix, 0, w, 0, 0, w, h);
+
+        int wm = w - 1;
+        int hm = h - 1;
+        int wh = w * h;
+        int div = radius + radius + 1;
+
+        int r[] = new int[wh];
+        int g[] = new int[wh];
+        int b[] = new int[wh];
+        int rsum, gsum, bsum, x, y, i, p, yp, yi, yw;
+        int vmin[] = new int[Math.max(w, h)];
+
+        int divsum = (div + 1) >> 1;
+        divsum *= divsum;
+        int dv[] = new int[256 * divsum];
+        for (i = 0; i < 256 * divsum; i++) {
+            dv[i] = (i / divsum);
+        }
+
+        yw = yi = 0;
+
+        int[][] stack = new int[div][3];
+        int stackpointer;
+        int stackstart;
+        int[] sir;
+        int rbs;
+        int r1 = radius + 1;
+        int routsum, goutsum, boutsum;
+        int rinsum, ginsum, binsum;
+
+        for (y = 0; y < h; y++) {
+            rinsum = ginsum = binsum = routsum = goutsum = boutsum = rsum = gsum = bsum = 0;
+            for (i = -radius; i <= radius; i++) {
+                p = pix[yi + Math.min(wm, Math.max(i, 0))];
+                sir = stack[i + radius];
+                sir[0] = (p & 0xff0000) >> 16;
+                sir[1] = (p & 0x00ff00) >> 8;
+                sir[2] = (p & 0x0000ff);
+                rbs = r1 - Math.abs(i);
+                rsum += sir[0] * rbs;
+                gsum += sir[1] * rbs;
+                bsum += sir[2] * rbs;
+                if (i > 0) {
+                    rinsum += sir[0];
+                    ginsum += sir[1];
+                    binsum += sir[2];
+                } else {
+                    routsum += sir[0];
+                    goutsum += sir[1];
+                    boutsum += sir[2];
+                }
+            }
+            stackpointer = radius;
+
+            for (x = 0; x < w; x++) {
+
+                r[yi] = dv[rsum];
+                g[yi] = dv[gsum];
+                b[yi] = dv[bsum];
+
+                rsum -= routsum;
+                gsum -= goutsum;
+                bsum -= boutsum;
+
+                stackstart = stackpointer - radius + div;
+                sir = stack[stackstart % div];
+
+                routsum -= sir[0];
+                goutsum -= sir[1];
+                boutsum -= sir[2];
+
+                if (y == 0) {
+                    vmin[x] = Math.min(x + radius + 1, wm);
+                }
+                p = pix[yw + vmin[x]];
+
+                sir[0] = (p & 0xff0000) >> 16;
+                sir[1] = (p & 0x00ff00) >> 8;
+                sir[2] = (p & 0x0000ff);
+
+                rinsum += sir[0];
+                ginsum += sir[1];
+                binsum += sir[2];
+
+                rsum += rinsum;
+                gsum += ginsum;
+                bsum += binsum;
+
+                stackpointer = (stackpointer + 1) % div;
+                sir = stack[(stackpointer) % div];
+
+                routsum += sir[0];
+                goutsum += sir[1];
+                boutsum += sir[2];
+
+                rinsum -= sir[0];
+                ginsum -= sir[1];
+                binsum -= sir[2];
+
+                yi++;
+            }
+            yw += w;
+        }
+        for (x = 0; x < w; x++) {
+            rinsum = ginsum = binsum = routsum = goutsum = boutsum = rsum = gsum = bsum = 0;
+            yp = -radius * w;
+            for (i = -radius; i <= radius; i++) {
+                yi = Math.max(0, yp) + x;
+
+                sir = stack[i + radius];
+
+                sir[0] = r[yi];
+                sir[1] = g[yi];
+                sir[2] = b[yi];
+
+                rbs = r1 - Math.abs(i);
+
+                rsum += r[yi] * rbs;
+                gsum += g[yi] * rbs;
+                bsum += b[yi] * rbs;
+
+                if (i > 0) {
+                    rinsum += sir[0];
+                    ginsum += sir[1];
+                    binsum += sir[2];
+                } else {
+                    routsum += sir[0];
+                    goutsum += sir[1];
+                    boutsum += sir[2];
+                }
+
+                if (i < hm) {
+                    yp += w;
+                }
+            }
+            yi = x;
+            stackpointer = radius;
+            for (y = 0; y < h; y++) {
+                // Preserve alpha channel: ( 0xff000000 & pix[yi] )
+                pix[yi] = (0xff000000 & pix[yi]) | (dv[rsum] << 16) | (dv[gsum] << 8) | dv[bsum];
+
+                rsum -= routsum;
+                gsum -= goutsum;
+                bsum -= boutsum;
+
+                stackstart = stackpointer - radius + div;
+                sir = stack[stackstart % div];
+
+                routsum -= sir[0];
+                goutsum -= sir[1];
+                boutsum -= sir[2];
+
+                if (x == 0) {
+                    vmin[y] = Math.min(y + r1, hm) * w;
+                }
+                p = x + vmin[y];
+
+                sir[0] = r[p];
+                sir[1] = g[p];
+                sir[2] = b[p];
+
+                rinsum += sir[0];
+                ginsum += sir[1];
+                binsum += sir[2];
+
+                rsum += rinsum;
+                gsum += ginsum;
+                bsum += binsum;
+
+                stackpointer = (stackpointer + 1) % div;
+                sir = stack[stackpointer];
+
+                routsum += sir[0];
+                goutsum += sir[1];
+                boutsum += sir[2];
+
+                rinsum -= sir[0];
+                ginsum -= sir[1];
+                binsum -= sir[2];
+
+                yi += w;
+            }
+        }
+
+        Log.e("pix", w + " " + h + " " + pix.length);
+        bitmap.setPixels(pix, 0, w, 0, 0, w, h);
+
+        return (bitmap);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/res/values/colors.xml b/core/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
index ab48fafe7..f062f23ea 100644
--- a/core/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
+++ b/core/src/main/res/values/colors.xml
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
     <color name="swipe_refresh_secondary_color_light">#EDEDED</color>
     <color name="swipe_refresh_secondary_color_dark">#060708</color>
     <color name="new_indicator_green">#669900</color>
+    <color name="image_readability_tint">#80000000</color>
 
     <!-- Use Gingerbread-orange -->
     <color name="selection_background_color_dark">#FEBB20</color>
diff --git a/core/src/main/res/values/styles.xml b/core/src/main/res/values/styles.xml
index df7ae385c..d9f6a775a 100644
--- a/core/src/main/res/values/styles.xml
+++ b/core/src/main/res/values/styles.xml
@@ -157,4 +157,10 @@
         <item name="android:text">@string/new_label</item>
     </style>
 
+    <style name="BigBlurryBackground">
+        <item name="android:scaleType">centerCrop</item>
+        <item name="android:tint">@color/image_readability_tint</item>
+
+    </style>
+
 </resources>