A flat panel display, comprising: a backlight including a plurality of semiconductor lasing elements of at least two primary colors arranged in a plurality of laser assemblies, wherein the plurality of lasing elements of at least one of the three primary colors are selected such that each lasing element emits a laser beam with a center wavelength λ 0 i and a spectral bandwidth Δ λ i, wherein the center wavelength of at least one of the lasing elements is wavelength-shifted with respect to the center wavelength of at least one other lasing element, and wherein said laser beams, when combined, have an ensemble spectrum A with an overlap parameter γ = Δλι / Sι, with Δ λ ι being a mean spectral bandwidth of the lasing elements and S ι being a mean wavelength shift between the center wavelengths λ 0 i of the at least one and the at least one other lasing elements, with Δ λ ι and S ι selected such that γ ≥ 1; an array of light modulators arranged across the flat panel display for modulating light emitted by the backlight; a light guide configured to mix light from the laser assemblies and to substantially distribute light output by the plurality of laser assemblies across the flat panel display; a diffuser configured to smooth the light emitted from the light guide; and a brightness enhancement film configured to direct the diffused light from the diffuser and light guide directly through the flat panel display and toward a viewer; wherein the flat panel display is arranged to control the distribution of light by independently adjusting the laser assemblies so as to vary the brightness in a particular region of the display and intensity of a color within each laser assembly is also controlled independently of the other colors. a backlight including a plurality of semiconductor lasing elements of at least two primary colors arranged in a plurality of laser assemblies, wherein the plurality of lasing elements of at least one of the three primary colors are selected such that each lasing element emits a laser beam with a center wavelength λ 0 i and a spectral bandwidth Δ λ i, wherein the center wavelength of at least one of the lasing elements is wavelength-shifted with respect to the center wavelength of at least one other lasing element, and wherein said laser beams, when combined, have an ensemble spectrum A with an overlap parameter γ = Δλι / Sι, with Δ λ ι being a mean spectral bandwidth of the lasing elements and S ι being a mean wavelength shift between the center wavelengths λ 0 i of the at least one and the at least one other lasing elements, with Δ λ ι and S ι selected such that γ ≥ 1; an array of light modulators arranged across the flat panel display for modulating light emitted by the backlight; a light guide configured to mix light from the laser assemblies and to substantially distribute light output by the plurality of laser assemblies across the flat panel display; a diffuser configured to smooth the light emitted from the light guide; and a brightness enhancement film configured to direct the diffused light from the diffuser and light guide directly through the flat panel display and toward a viewer; wherein the flat panel display is arranged to control the distribution of light by independently adjusting the laser assemblies so as to vary the brightness in a particular region of the display and intensity of a color within each laser assembly is also controlled independently of the other colors.