High dynamic range display devices having color light sources

1. A device, comprising:

a modulated light source;

a modulator having a higher resolution than a resolution of the modulated light source;

an optical arrangement comprising an alignment of the modulated light source and the higher resolution modulator that causes pixels of the modulated light source to be projected onto the higher resolution modulator;

wherein:

the modulated light source is configured to cause the pixels of the modulated light source to form a low resolution version of an image;

the pixels of the modulated light source projected onto the higher resolution modulator each correspond to a plurality of pixels of the higher resolution modulator; and

the pixels of the modulated light source are diffuse and spread into adjacent pixels so as to cause a smoothly varying light intensity from one pixel of the modulated light source to other pixels of the modulated light source.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises red, green, and blue light sources.

3. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the pixels of the modulated light source comprise an intensity profile comprising a full width at half maximum in the range of 0.3d2 to 3d2 where d2 is a center-to-center inter-pixel spacing of the modulated light source.

4. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the intensity profile further comprises a Gaussian spread function having a width approximately equal to d2.

5. The device according to claim 3 , wherein the intensity profile further comprises an approximation of a Gaussian spread function convolved with a rectangular profile having a width equal to an active width of the pixel.

6. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the higher resolution modulator is configured to be operable in response to differences between the low resolution version of the image and the image determined by dividing desired luminance values by a known intensity of light incident from the modulated light source on the corresponding pixels of the higher resolution light modulator.

7. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the higher resolution modulator is configured to be operable in a manner that reduces artifacts.

8. The device according to claim 1 ,configured so that artifacts caused by pixels of the modulated light source corresponding to a plurality of pixels of the higher resolution modulator are reduced by a manner in which the higher resolution modulator is controlled.

9. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises at least one light source and at least one light modulator.

10. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises a plurality of light sources and a mechanism for modulating the plurality of light sources.

11. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises a spatially modulated light source.

12. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises a plurality of different color light sources and a mechanism for causing the plurality of different color light sources to be spatially modulated.

13. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the high resolution modulator comprises a color modulator.

14. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the high resolution modulator comprises an LCD screen.

15. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises individual red, green, and blue lights.

16. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises red, green, and blue (RGB) lights and individual RGB modulators.

17. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises a first light comprising a red light emission, a second light comprising a green light emission, and a third light comprising a blue light emission.

18. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises a first color light, a second color light, and a third color light.

19. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises a light comprising a red light emission.

20. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the modulated light source comprises a light comprising a blue light emission.

21. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device comprises a high dynamic range display having a contrast ratio greater than 1000:1.

22. A display, comprising:

a modulated light source comprising red, green, and blue (RGB) lights;

a modulator having relatively high resolution compared to a resolution of the modulated light source;

an optical arrangement comprising an alignment of the modulated light source and the high resolution modulator that causes pixels of the modulated light source to be projected onto the high resolution modulator;

wherein:

pixels of the modulated light source comprises an intensity profile comprising a full width at half maximum in the range of 0.3d2 to 3d2 where d2 is a center-to-center inter-pixel spacing of the modulated light source;

the intensity profile further comprising a Gaussian spread function having a width approximately equal to d2 and a Gaussian spread function convolved with a rectangular profile having a width equal to an active width of the pixel;

the modulated light source is configured to cause the pixels of the modulated light source to form a low resolution version of an image;

pixels of the modulated light source projected onto the high resolution modulator each correspond to a plurality of pixels of the high resolution modulator;

pixels of the modulated light source are diffuse and spread into adjacent pixels so as to cause a smoothly varying light intensity from one pixel of the modulated light source to other pixels of the modulated light source;

artifacts caused by pixels of the modulated light source corresponding to a plurality of pixels of the higher-resolution spatial light modulator are reduced by a manner in which the high resolution modulator is energized;

the high resolution modulator is configured to be controlled differences between the low resolution version of the image and the image obtained by dividing desired luminance values by a known intensity of light incident from the modulated light source on the corresponding pixels of the higher-resolution light modulator; and

the display is a high dynamic range display having a contrast ratio of greater than 1000 to one.

23. A display, comprising:

an LCD panel;

a locally dimmed RGB backlight; and

a controller configured to produce a local dimming signal configured to control the locally dimmed RGB backlight with an approximation of a desired image;

wherein:

each pixel of the locally dimmed backlight corresponding to and illuminating a plurality of pixels of the LCD panel;

the locally dimmed RGB backlight comprises pixels that spread into each other so as to produce a diffuse and smoothly varying low resolution version of the desired image on a non-viewing side of the LCD panel; and

the local dimming signal is further configured to reduce artifacts caused by pixels of the locally dimmed RGB backlight corresponding to a plurality of pixels of the LCD panel.

24. The display according to claim 23 , wherein the LCD panel is energized by differences between the approximation of the desired image and the desired image by dividing desired luminance values by a known intensity of light incident from the locally dimmed RGB backlight on the corresponding pixels of the LCD panel.

25. The display according to claim 24 , wherein pixels of the locally dimmed RGB backlight comprise an intensity profile comprising a full width at half maximum in the range of 0.3d2 to 3d2 where d2 is a center-to-center inter-pixel spacing of the locally dimmed RGB backlight.

26. The display according to claim 25 , wherein the display comprises a high dynamic range display having a contrast ratio of at least 1000:1.