slowscan

Slowscan is a term used to describe techniques that deliberately reduce the rate at which data is scanned, captured, or transmitted in order to manage bandwidth, storage, or power constraints. The concept appears in several fields that handle visual or sensor data and is defined by trading off resolution, color depth, or refresh rate against data volume and latency.

In radio communications, slowscan is commonly associated with slow-scan television, a method for transmitting still images or slowly updated pictures over limited-bandwidth links such as amateur radio. In this context, image quality and update speed are adjusted to fit the available channel, with images taking longer to complete than in standard video.

In sensing, imaging, and display systems, slowscan refers to reducing the sampling rate or the spatial resolution when scanning environments or objects. This can lower data throughput and power consumption and may be used during calibration, testing, or operation in constrained environments.

Technical considerations for slowscan include the trade-offs between bandwidth, latency, and image or data quality. Implementations often require synchronization between transmitter and receiver or between sensor and processor, as well as error handling to cope with longer transmission times and potential data loss. Artifacts such as motion blur or aliasing can arise if the slow scan cannot accurately capture changing scenes.

Historically, slowscan has appeared in hobbyist contexts such as slow-scan television and in industrial or embedded systems that prioritize simplicity and efficiency. Related concepts include slow-scan television, raster scanning, sampling rate, and data compression.