HRZ to OTB Converter

Produce OTB from HRZ — browser-based converter

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Format Flexibility

HRZ to OTB conversion opens new possibilities. Use your SSTV images in contexts where OTB is the expected or required format.

Visual Fidelity

Your HRZ imagery is carefully converted to OTB with maximum quality retention. No unnecessary degradation during the transformation process.

Effortless Conversion

Upload your HRZ, pick OTB, and click Convert — the entire process takes just a few clicks with no technical expertise required.

How to convert HRZ to OTB

1

Select files from Computer, Google Drive, Dropbox, URL or by dragging it on the page.

2

Choose otb or any other format you need as a result (more than 200 formats supported)

3

Let the file convert and you can download your otb file right afterwards

About formats

HRZ is a simple raster image format associated with slow-scan television (SSTV), a method of transmitting still images over radio frequencies used by amateur radio operators since the late 1950s when Copthorne Macdonald pioneered the technology. HRZ files store images at a fixed resolution of 256x240 pixels in raw RGB format, with each pixel represented as three bytes (red, green, blue) at 8 bits per channel, producing uncompressed files of exactly 184,320 bytes. The format has no header, no metadata, and no compression — the file is simply a sequential dump of raw pixel data in row-major order. This extreme simplicity reflects the format's origins in the amateur radio community, where SSTV images are transmitted as audio tones encoding luminance and chrominance values over narrow-bandwidth HF (shortwave) radio channels. The fixed 256x240 resolution corresponds to common SSTV transmission modes, and HRZ files serve as the digital capture or storage medium for received SSTV transmissions. One advantage is the format's zero-overhead structure: with no parsing, decompression, or metadata processing required, HRZ files can be read by any program capable of reading raw pixel data with known dimensions — a single function call in virtually any programming language. The format's connection to amateur radio SSTV culture is another notable aspect: HRZ files document a unique form of image communication where operators transmit photographs over thousands of miles using nothing but radio waves and audio encoding, a practice that continues today alongside digital modes. HRZ files can be opened by ImageMagick, GIMP, and specialized SSTV software.
Developer: SSTV Community
Initial release: 1985
OTB (Over-the-Air Bitmap) is a monochrome image format developed by Nokia as part of their Smart Messaging specification in 1997, designed for transmitting small graphics — operator logos, group graphics, and picture messages — to Nokia mobile phones via SMS. OTB files contain 1-bit (black and white) images at small fixed resolutions, typically 72x14 pixels for operator logos and 72x28 pixels for group graphics, encoded in a compact binary format suitable for embedding within the payload of SMS text messages. The format uses a simple structure: a header byte indicating whether the image is an operator logo or group graphic, width and height values, and the raw bitmap data where each bit represents one pixel packed eight per byte. The extremely tight format — designed to fit within a single SMS message (140 bytes maximum payload, shared with addressing overhead) — reflects the severe constraints of mobile communication in the late 1990s. Nokia's Smart Messaging system was one of the first commercial implementations of rich content delivery to mobile phones, and OTB images represented the entire visual content capability of Nokia handsets before MMS and mobile data browsing arrived. One advantage is the format's historical role as a pioneer of mobile visual messaging: OTB images were among the first graphics that ordinary consumers could send to each other's phones, predating MMS, camera phones, and smartphones by nearly a decade. The format's minimal footprint is another characteristic — entire images fit in a few dozen bytes, reflecting an era of extreme bandwidth constraints. OTB files are supported by ImageMagick, various Nokia phone management tools, and specialty mobile format utilities.
Developer: Nokia
Initial release: 1997

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert HRZ to OTB?

HRZ requires niche software to open. Converting to OTB lets you share and view your SSTV images on virtually any platform.

What programs open OTB?

Any modern image viewer opens OTB — Windows Photos, macOS Preview, GIMP, Photoshop, and web browsers all support it.

What is the HRZ format?

HRZ is used in amateur radio slow-scan television. It stores radio-transmitted images and ham radio communication — converting to OTB makes this data universally accessible.

How long does the conversion take?

Most HRZ to OTB conversions finish within seconds. Larger or more complex images may take slightly longer depending on the data size.

Is batch HRZ to OTB conversion supported?

Absolutely — queue multiple HRZ images and convert them all to OTB in a single session. No need to process one at a time.

What platforms are supported?

The converter works on any device with a browser — Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android. No platform-specific software needed.