Off-state light baffle for digital projection

A light modulation assembly for a digital projection apparatus comprising: a solid-state light source that provides an illumination beam; a spatial light modulator having a plurality of tiltable micro-mirrors, each micro-mirror being actuable to tilt with respect to a tilt axis between a first tilt position that provides on-state light and a second tilt position that provides off state light, and wherein the micro-mirrors deflect the illumination beam along an arced path defining a deflection plane as they are tilted between the first tilt position and the second tilt position; and a light baffle disposed alongside the optical axis and in the path of the off state light from the micro-mirrors, the light baffle having a light-trapping surface adapted to absorb the off-state light from the micro-mirrors on the spatial light modulator, the light-trapping surface having a plurality of protruding fins that extend outward from the light-trapping surface at an oblique angle.