In one embodiment, the system comprises a server and a client. The server stores a compressed codestream corresponding to image data. The client is coupled to the server via a network environment. The client includes a memory having an application and a data structure stored therein. The data structure identifies positions of packets of the compressed codestream on the server and identifies data of the compressed codestream already buffered at the client. The client requests bytes of the compressed codestream from the server that are not already stored in the memory and generates decoded image data requested by a user from the bytes of the compressed codestream requested from the server and any portion of the compressed codestream previously stored in the memory necessary to create the image data.