Hybrid digital and analog data storage

A method of reading out additional digital information from an image formed of pixels stored on a data carrier, wherein each pixel of the image comprises between zero and M recesses located at a subset of zero to M positions of N predetermined positions attributed to the pixel, the method comprising:

• identifying, for each pixel, the subset of positions at which a recess is present;
• and
• attributing a predetermined information to each pixel in accordance with the identified subset of the positions at which a recess is present, wherein the predetermined information comprises one or a combination of:
• a grey scale value of the pixel, a color or color value of the pixel, an intensity of any of the colors red, green and blue of the pixel.

A method of concurrently storing RGB color information of an image and additional digital information, the method comprising the steps of:

• providing a data carrier;
• and
• creating a plurality of recesses in a surface of the data carrier by using a laser or a focused particle beam in order to encode information on the data carrier;
• wherein the plurality of recesses are grouped in pixels forming an image,
• wherein NR+NG+NB predetermined positions are attributed to each pixel, the NR+NG+NB predetermined positions comprising NR predetermined R positions, NG predetermined G positions and NB predetermined B positions,
• wherein each pixel comprises between zero and MR recesses located at a subset of zero to MR positions of the NR predetermined R positions,
• wherein each pixel comprises between zero and MG recesses located at a subset of zero to MG positions of the NG predetermined G positions,
• wherein each pixel comprises between zero and MB recesses located at a subset of zero to MB positions of the NB predetermined B positions,
• wherein the number of recesses at the predetermined R positions, nR, of a given pixel defines an intensity of the color red,
• wherein the number of recesses at the predetermined G positions, nG, of a given pixel defines an intensity of the color green,
• wherein the number of recesses at the predetermined B positions, nB, of a given pixel defines an intensity of the color blue, and
• wherein the subset of zero to MR positions, the subset of zero to MG positions, and/or the subset of zero to MB positions of a given pixel defines additional digital information attributed to the pixel.