Table 1. Comparison of the possible NIRS implementations.
| Scaling conventional iNIRS | 2D detector array | |
|---|---|---|
| Advantages | Balanced detection diminishes DC level and enhances the dynamic range | No need for fiber splitting |
| Digitizers offer fast sampling rates | Enables a very large number of parallel channels (1000 and beyond) | |
| Disadvantages | Achieving a large number of channels (100-1000) can be challenging and requires more digitizers. | Balanced detection is challenging |
| High-power lasers are needed due to fiber splitting | Sampling rates are currently limited to ∼1Ms/sec | |
| Cost factors | DBDs (∼2,000 USD each) Digitizers (>10,000 USD each) |
High-speed camera (∼50,000 USD) |