Patent ID: 8786643

Claim:
A display comprising: an optical package having a top layer on a side, and a bottom layer on an opposite side, the top layer comprising a front modulator having a plurality of individually-controllable elements, each of the individually-controllable elements having a variable transmissivity; a plurality of light sources positioned along at least one edge of the optical package, the light sources configured to direct light into the optical package; an extractor in at least one of the top layer and the bottom layer, the extractor having a plurality of individually-controllable segments configured to direct varying levels of light toward the front modulator; and, a control system connected to control the front modulator and the extractor, the control system configured to receive image data specifying a desired image, control the extractor to project a low spatial resolution pattern of light which is defined by said received image data and approximates the desired image onto the front modulator, estimate a pattern of light incident on the front modulator, and control the front modulator based on the estimated pattern, wherein said extractor and said front modulator comprise a locally dimmable modulator, where said extractor substantially forms said low spatial resolution pattern and said front modulator substantially forms a high spatial resolution pattern of said desired image, wherein the control system is configured to control the light sources based on the image data, wherein the control system comprises a brightness controller configured to measure an accumulated luminance for each of a plurality of regions of the image data and provide separate driving levels to a plurality of groups of light sources, each group corresponding to a region of the image data.