Display with cluster-controlled color quantization

A method of operating a color display comprising display clusters of mutually exclusive color display pixels, comprising:

• receiving a digital image with a display controller, the digital image comprising image pixels, each image pixel defining a pixel color associated with a corresponding display pixel;
• using the display controller, calculating a color palette for each display cluster derived exclusively from image pixels in the image corresponding to display pixels in the display cluster, the color palette having fewer colors than display pixels in the display cluster;
• using the display controller, transmitting (i) the color palette and (ii) a display-pixel value that references one of the colors in the color palette for each display pixel in the display cluster to the cluster controller of the display cluster;
• using each cluster controller of a display cluster, receiving a color palette and a display-pixel value referencing one of the colors in the color palette for each display pixel in the display cluster from the display controller;
• and
• responsive to the color palette and the reference, emitting light from each display pixel in the display cluster with display pixels under the control of the cluster controller.

A color-display cluster, comprising:

• an array of display pixels, each display pixel operable to emit light of different colors responsive to a display-pixel value and pixel color;
• a color palette comprising different pixel colors derived exclusively from pixel colors of mutually exclusive image clusters of image pixels in a digital image corresponding to the display pixels;
• and
• a cluster controller operable to (i) control the display pixels to emit light of different pixel colors, (ii) receive a color palette and display-pixel values, and (iii) control each display pixel to emit light specified by the pixel color in the color palette referenced by the display-pixel value,
• wherein the display-pixel value for each display pixel references a pixel color in the color palette, and
• wherein for each display cluster, a number of pixel colors in the color palette is smaller than a number of display pixels in the display cluster.