Various embodiments of the present disclosure may include an imaging system that allows for the transfer of high dynamic range (HDR) radiometric thermal images over a low bitrate interface. The image system may capture HDR images and output the HDR images over a communications interface to be processed. The HDR images may be converted to low dynamic range (LDR) images by a transfer function in order to be sent over the low bitrate interface. An inverse transfer function may also be sent along with the LDR image. Once the LDR image has been sent over the low bitrate interface, the LDR image may be converted to a reconstructed image using the inverse transfer function.