Comparison of streaming technologies
As an example of the specialized and powerful methods employed by Adaptive Streaming for the handling of medical image data and analysis functions, consider the following common scenario:
A clinician is analyzing a stack of 2D images from a CT scan of a patient – specifically, the clinician is modifying the window width/level for a particular slice in order to get a better look at a suspicious area. The following table summarizes the manner in which this scenario is handled by the various streaming methodologies.
| Streaming Method | Processing Methods |
| Web Serving | Download the full data set to the client device and perform local window width/level modifications on the client side. |
| Raw streaming | Use the power of the server to perform window width/level modifications, and transfer new frames to the client each time the user modifies window width/level values. |
| Intelligent Downloading | Download relevant portions of the data set to the client device and perform local window width/level modifications. |
| Adaptive Streaming | Use the power of the server to perform window width/level modifications. The modifications are then transferred to the client via mathematical formulae, indicating how to modify the display. This process occurs each time the user modifies the window width/level values. |
