SNB to SIXEL Converter

Convert Bambook SNB to SIXEL images free online

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SNB to Terminal Graphics

Convert proprietary Bambook ebooks into SIXEL images that render directly inside modern terminal emulators.

Remote Conversion

Processing takes place entirely on Convertio cloud servers, leaving your machine free for other tasks.

Web-Based Tool

No downloads or plugins required. The converter works in any standard web browser across all platforms.

How to convert SNB to SIXEL

1

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

2

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

3

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

About formats

SNB is a proprietary ebook format developed by Shanghai Nutshell Electronics, a subsidiary of Shanda Interactive Entertainment, for the Bambook e-reader launched in August 2010. The format is structurally based on EPUB principles, packaging HTML content, CSS styling, images, and metadata within a compressed archive, but uses a proprietary container that restricts native playback to Bambook devices and associated software. Shanda designed the Bambook and its SNB ecosystem as an integrated reading platform tied to the Cloudary literature portal (later rebranded as China Literature), one of China's largest online publishing networks hosting millions of web novels and serialized fiction. The format supported reflowable text, chapter navigation, bookmarks, and basic typographic controls suited to Chinese-language content display. One advantage was tight integration with Shanda's massive content catalog, providing readers instant access to an enormous library of Chinese-language literature directly through the device. The Bambook was initially offered at a heavily subsidized price point, using the content ecosystem to drive revenue — a model that preceded similar strategies by other e-reader manufacturers. While the Bambook hardware line was eventually discontinued as the Chinese market shifted toward tablet-based reading apps, SNB files from that era can be converted to standard formats using tools like Calibre with appropriate plugins. The format represents an interesting case study in platform-specific ebook ecosystems within the Chinese digital publishing landscape.
Initial release: August 2010
SIXEL (Six Pixel) is a bitmap graphics encoding format created by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) in 1983 for rendering images on character-cell printers and video terminals. The name derives from the encoding's fundamental unit: a column of six pixels represented by a single ASCII character. Each printable character in the sixel data stream (ASCII 63-126) encodes a 6-pixel vertical column, with the character's binary value determining which pixels are on or off. Color is specified through register-based palette control: a Select Color Sequence assigns an HLS or RGB color value to a numbered register, and subsequent sixel characters use that color until another register is selected. The encoding supports raster attributes for specifying pixel aspect ratio and image dimensions, repeat sequences (! followed by a count and character) for run-length compression of identical columns, and $ (carriage return) and - (new line) for navigating the sixel grid. DEC implemented SIXEL support in their VT240, VT241, VT330, and VT340 terminals, as well as multiple printer models. One advantage of the SIXEL encoding is its ASCII-clean nature: the data stream consists entirely of printable characters and standard control sequences, meaning SIXEL graphics can be transmitted through any text-based communication channel — serial terminals, SSH sessions, telnet connections — without requiring binary-safe transport or protocol modifications. The format's modern renaissance provides another remarkable dimension: after decades of obscurity, SIXEL support has been implemented in numerous contemporary terminal emulators, enabling inline image display in command-line workflows. SIXEL output can be generated by ImageMagick, libsixel, chafa, and various plotting libraries.
Initial release: 1983

Frequently Asked Questions

Why convert SNB to SIXEL?

SNB is confined to the Shanda Bambook ecosystem. SIXEL graphics let you render ebook page images inline within compatible terminal emulators.

Which terminals support SIXEL?

xterm (sixel mode), mlterm, WezTerm, mintty, foot, and contour terminal all display SIXEL inline images natively.

Is SIXEL the same as SIX?

Yes, SIX is just the shorter file extension for the SIXEL format. Both refer to the DEC SIXEL graphics encoding standard.

Can I convert on my phone?

Yes, the converter runs in any mobile browser. Upload your SNB from cloud storage and download the SIXEL output on your phone.

Any cost involved?

None. Convertio offers free SNB to SIXEL conversion online — no credit card, no registration, no software to install.