Conveyance of hidden image data between output panel & digital camera

A method for determining a pixel value, the method comprising:

• sampling light associated with one or more display pixels;
• assigning a raw pixel value for one or more pixels of an input image frame based on the sample;
• detecting one or more variations in an output modulation rate of the one or more display pixels;
• determining hidden image data based on the one or more pixel output modulation rate variations;
• and
• generating an output image frame from the input image frame by substituting or modifying the raw pixel value based on the hidden image data.

One or more computer readable media including instructions stored thereon, which when executed by a processing system, cause the system to perform a method comprising:

• sampling light associated with one or more display pixels;
• assigning a raw pixel value for one or more pixels of an input image frame based on the sample;
• detecting one or more variations in an output modulation rate of the one or more display pixels;
• determining hidden image data based on the one or more pixel output modulation rate variations;
• and
• generating an output image frame from the input image frame by substituting or modifying the raw pixel value based on the hidden image data.

An apparatus comprising:

• an image processing pipeline to generate an output image frame comprising a plurality of pixel locations;
• a display pixel output modulator to encode hidden image data associated with one or more of the plurality of pixel locations into one or more variations of a pixel output modulation rate;
• and
• an output panel, coupled to the refresh modulator and comprising a plurality of spatially arrayed pixels, to output a visual representation of the output image frame while one or more of the pixels are modulated at the pixel output modulation rate.