HRZ to PBM Converter

Create PBM from HRZ with one click online

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Batch Processing

Convert multiple HRZ images to PBM in one session. Queue your images and let the converter process them all without manual repetition.

Any Device Works

Run the HRZ to PBM converter from any device — desktop, laptop, tablet, or phone. All you need is a web browser to get started.

Format Flexibility

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

How to convert HRZ to PBM

1

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

2

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

3

Let the file convert and you can download your pbm 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
PBM (Portable Bitmap) is the monochrome (black and white, 1-bit) member of the Netpbm family of image formats, created by Jef Poskanzer in 1988 as part of the Pbmplus toolkit for Unix systems. The format exists in two variants: ASCII (magic number P1), where each pixel is represented as a text character '0' (white) or '1' (black) separated by whitespace, and binary (magic number P4), where pixels are packed eight per byte for compact storage. Both variants begin with a plain-text header specifying the magic number, image width and height, and optional comments. PBM was designed as the simplest possible image format — a bridge format for converting between the many incompatible raster formats that proliferated across different Unix systems and applications during the 1980s. The Netpbm philosophy was to convert any source format to PBM/PGM/PPM as an intermediate step, then convert to the target format, using the portable formats as a universal exchange layer. One advantage is extreme simplicity — the ASCII variant can be literally typed by hand in a text editor, and both variants are trivial to parse and generate in any programming language without external libraries. The format's role as a universal image processing intermediate is another strength: hundreds of Netpbm command-line tools accept PBM input, enabling complex image manipulation pipelines through Unix pipes. PBM remains used in computer science education, OCR preprocessing, and any context where a dead-simple monochrome image representation is needed.
Developer: Jef Poskanzer
Initial release: 1988

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert HRZ to PBM?

Most people lack software for HRZ. Converting to PBM ensures your SSTV images are viewable everywhere — from phones to desktops.

What programs open PBM?

Open PBM with standard tools like Windows Photos, Preview on macOS, GIMP, Photoshop, or any web browser — no special software needed.

Can I batch convert HRZ to PBM?

Yes — Convertio supports batch uploads. Add multiple HRZ images and convert them all to PBM at once to speed up your workflow.

Will my image lose quality?

Quality depends on the target format. PBM plain bitmap output preserves data within its format constraints — no unnecessary degradation occurs.

Does this work on mobile devices?

Yes — the converter runs in any web browser, so it works on phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops regardless of operating system.