Dynamic illumination control for laser projection display

A display apparatus includes one or more imaging channels, each imaging channel includes a polarized light source and a spatial light modulator that is actuable to modulate the polarized light and provide a modulated polarized light. A control logic processor is disposed to receive and analyze each frame of image data for the one or more imaging channels. A variable brightness attenuator in the path of the modulated polarized light and actuable under the control of the control logic processor to attenuate the modulated polarized light to one of a plurality of attenuation levels for the one or more imaging channels according to each frame of image data.