Disclosed is a method of controlling a backlight for of a display panel. The backlight includes backlight blocks. The display panel includes display region blocks opposite to the backlight blocks in one-to-one correspondence. The method determines, for each of the backlight blocks, a luminance value demanded from each of pixels in display region blocks including a display region block opposite to the backlight block and one or more display region blocks adjacent to the opposite display region block to the backlight block based on a luminance value of the pixel and a weight determined depending on a relation of a location of the pixel and a location of the backlight block. The method determines, for each of the backlight blocks, a highest value among the demanded luminance values for the backlight block to be a luminance value for the backlight block.