A backlight unit for a display device , comprising: a chassis ; a reflector affixed to the chassis; optical sheets affixed to the chassis, wherein there is an air gap between the reflector and the optical sheets; one or more light emitters affixed to the chassis; and internal support structures disposed within the air gap and affixed to the chassis, wherein the internal support structures are configured to increase rigidity of the chassis, characterized in that the reflector includes a reflector edge having a cross-sectional shape including a vertical section attached to the chassis and extending perpendicular to a plane of the chassis and a sloped section extending from the vertical section, thereby defining a reflector edge geometry configured such that the uniformity of light emitted by the one or more light emitters through the optical sheets is not substantially altered by the reflector edge relative to the uniformity obtained without reflector edge ), in that the internal support structures have a cross-sectional shape including a vertical section attached to the chassis and extending substantially perpendicular to said plane of the chassis , and a sloped section extending from the vertical section, thereby being configured to substantially not alter the uniformity of light emitted by the one or more light emitters through the optical sheets relative to the uniformity obtained without internal support structures , and in that the edge geometry of the internal support structures provided by its vertical and sloped sections conform in shape to the edge geometry of the reflector within a threshold of 5 degrees for corresponding angles of said geometries, substantially not altering the uniformity of light meaning that a difference in the uniformity of light is not visible to a standard human observer. a chassis ; a reflector affixed to the chassis; optical sheets affixed to the chassis, wherein there is an air gap between the reflector and the optical sheets; one or more light emitters affixed to the chassis; and internal support structures disposed within the air gap and affixed to the chassis, wherein the internal support structures are configured to increase rigidity of the chassis, characterized in that the reflector includes a reflector edge having a cross-sectional shape including a vertical section attached to the chassis and extending perpendicular to a plane of the chassis and a sloped section extending from the vertical section, thereby defining a reflector edge geometry configured such that the uniformity of light emitted by the one or more light emitters through the optical sheets is not substantially altered by the reflector edge relative to the uniformity obtained without reflector edge ), in that the internal support structures have a cross-sectional shape including a vertical section attached to the chassis and extending substantially perpendicular to said plane of the chassis , and a sloped section extending from the vertical section, thereby being configured to substantially not alter the uniformity of light emitted by the one or more light emitters through the optical sheets relative to the uniformity obtained without internal support structures , and in that the edge geometry of the internal support structures provided by its vertical and sloped sections conform in shape to the edge geometry of the reflector within a threshold of 5 degrees for corresponding angles of said geometries, substantially not altering the uniformity of light meaning that a difference in the uniformity of light is not visible to a standard human observer. <EOS>