Seems like having memory embedded in the display for a shadow buffer, and the diffing algorithm you’re proposing, could easily undo any power savings you’d get,

Seems like having memory embedded in the display for a shadow buffer, and the diffing algorithm you’re proposing, could easily undo any power savings you’d get, and then some. Why are you certain that saving power is simple? How much power does the data protocol consume compared to the display itself? Isn’t the data transmission power in the noise margin of the power requirements for an active display, CRT or LCD?