title: Difference between RDP/Terminal Services and VNC Streaming Techniques
body: <p>As part of a client support tool, I'm wanting to provide some functionality to be able to request to view/remote control a desktop session. There are a bunch of ways to get a screen capture and then stream it, but I'm wanting to find out in particular, why the RDP (Remote Desktop / Terminal Services vs. VNC experience is so different. I'm using RDP vs. VNC just because they seem to use drastically different methods to stream the screen to the client.</p>
  
  <p>If I had to guess, RDP appears to transmit blocks of bitmap graphics (say 100x100px) in order to build the full picture (which can be quite slow) but seems to transfer normal painted shapes/fills, or font drawing to the client extremely quickly. VNC seems to take giant snapshots of the screen, compare a previous image and stream the changes to the client.</p>
  
  <p>I feel that RDP is a much more high-quality and smooth protocol than anything else out there, so what technique does it use to accomplish this?</p>
  
  <p>EDIT-Just to clarify, I am asking about these graphics techniques specifically as a streaming protocol programming method - not for which existing product/technology to use to solve this business requirement.</p>