A display backlight assembly includes a light guide panel having first and second principal faces and at least one edge surface. A display screen is aligned with and substantially perpendicular to the first principal face of the light guide panel. The assembly also includes a light source with one or more white LEDs and one or more first color LEDs, where each first color LED emits a first color of light that is red, green, blue, or yellow. Each white LED and each first color LED is positioned to emit light into the light guide panel. A controller is electrically coupled to the light source and capable of independently setting an intensity value for each white LED and for each first color LED. The controller controls illumination of the LEDs independently as needed to provide backlighting with the selected intensity.