RB to SGI Converter

Convert Rocket eBook to SGI RGB image — free, online

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Lossless Page Rendering

RB ebook pages become SGI images with full RGB color depth — no lossy compression, so every detail of the original content is kept.

Cross-Platform Access

Although SGI originated on Silicon Graphics hardware, tools like GIMP and IrfanView open these images on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Secure File Handling

Uploaded RB files are deleted right after processing. SGI output images are removed from Convertio servers within 24 hours.

How to convert RB 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

RB is the native ebook format of the Rocket eBook, one of the first commercially available dedicated e-reading devices, developed by NuvoMedia and released in October 1998. Founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning — who later co-founded Tesla Motors — NuvoMedia designed the Rocket eBook as a handheld device with a reflective LCD screen, capable of storing approximately ten books in its internal memory. The RB format packages HTML-based content along with embedded images, metadata, and a table of contents into a single binary container optimized for the device's limited hardware. Content was purchased and downloaded through NuvoMedia's RocketLibrarian desktop software. A notable advantage of the format was its early support for bookmarking, annotation, dictionary lookups, and adjustable font sizing — features now standard on modern e-readers but revolutionary in the late 1990s. The Rocket eBook demonstrated viable commercial demand for dedicated reading devices, paving the way for subsequent platforms from Sony, Amazon, and others. NuvoMedia was acquired by Gemstar-TV Guide International in 2000, which discontinued the device line in 2003. While RB files are largely a historical curiosity today, they can be converted to modern formats using ebook management tools, and the format remains significant as a pioneering chapter in the evolution of digital reading.
Developer: NuvoMedia
Initial release: 1998
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

Why convert RB to SGI?

RB is an obsolete 1998 ebook format. SGI preserves page content as images — useful for archival or workflows tied to SGI/Irix systems.

What programs open SGI files?

GIMP, ImageMagick, IrfanView, and XnView all read SGI RGB images. On legacy SGI/Irix machines, native tools open them directly.

Does SGI support transparency?

Yes, SGI format supports an alpha channel alongside RGB data, allowing transparent regions in the rendered page images.

Is the quality good?

SGI images store full RGB color data without lossy compression, so every page detail from your RB ebook is faithfully preserved.

How much does it cost?

Nothing — RB to SGI conversion is free on Convertio. Premium accounts unlock batch processing and priority conversion queues.