OTB to SGI Converter

Convert OTB images to SGI format quickly and easily online

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Simple Interface

Three steps to convert: upload your OTB, select SGI, and download. The clean interface makes the process intuitive even for first-time users.

Secure Processing

Uploaded OTB images are erased right after conversion, and the resulting SGI files are purged within 24 hours — your data stays private.

No Install Required

The entire OTB to SGI conversion happens in your browser. No plugins, no desktop apps — just upload, convert, and download.

How to convert OTB to SGI

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

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
SGI is the generic file extension for the Silicon Graphics Image format, also referred to by channel-specific extensions .rgb (3 channels), .rgba (4 channels), .bw (grayscale), and .int/.inta (16-bit variants). Developed by Silicon Graphics around 1986 for their IRIX operating system, the SGI format uses a 512-byte header followed by planar image data, where each color channel is stored as a complete plane rather than interleaved with other channels at each pixel. The header specifies a magic number (474), compression mode (0 for verbatim, 1 for RLE), bytes per channel (1 or 2), dimensionality (1 for scanline, 2 for image, 3 for multi-channel image), channel dimensions, pixel value range, and an 80-character image name. For RLE-compressed images, a table of offsets and lengths follows the header, allowing random access to individual scanlines without sequential decompression. Silicon Graphics workstations were the backbone of Hollywood visual effects, scientific visualization, flight simulation, and CAD/CAM industries throughout the 1990s, and the SGI format was the standard working format across these domains. One advantage is the format's robust design: the combination of scanline-addressable RLE compression, multi-channel support, 16-bit depth capability, and planar layout made it equally suitable for quick preview display and production rendering output. The format's association with the golden age of SGI-powered visual effects is another notable aspect — SGI files from this era represent production assets from landmark films and scientific visualizations. SGI images are supported by ImageMagick, GIMP, XnView, Photoshop (via plugin), and various 3D rendering and compositing applications.
Developer: Silicon Graphics
Initial release: 1986

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the reason to convert OTB to SGI?

OTB originated in Nokia mobile phones and has narrow compatibility today. SGI offers native format of SGI workstations — a far more practical choice for sharing.

What apps support SGI?

You can view SGI with ImageMagick, IrfanView, XnView, GIMP. These tools cover all major desktop and mobile platforms.

What exactly is the OTB format?

The OTB format is an Over-The-Air bitmap format for early Nokia phones, rooted in Nokia mobile phones. Modern software rarely supports it natively, making conversion essential.

Are my uploaded files kept private?

Completely. Convertio removes uploaded OTB files right after conversion, and the SGI output is automatically deleted within 24 hours.

How long does OTB to SGI conversion take?

Usually just seconds. OTB files are typically small, so the upload, conversion, and download process finishes very quickly on Convertio.

Can I convert multiple OTB files to SGI at once?

Convertio supports batch mode — drag in multiple OTB files and they all convert to SGI together, which is much faster than one-by-one.