Optical Power Reduction by Masking Pixels of Image Content

A scanning laser projection system includes a virtual protective housing circuit to automatically reduce accessible emissions of visible laser light by decimating areas of a projected image to reduce optical power exposure levels for safety, comfort, aesthetic, or system classification purposes. IR laser light pulses are scanned in a field of view, and a percentage of visible laser light pulses are blanked based on attributes of reflections of the IR laser light pulses.