YUV to OTB Converter

Effortless YUV to OTB conversion — works online

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Format Flexibility

Beyond OTB, Convertio supports dozens of other output formats for your YUV files. Explore the full format list.

Works on Any Device

Convert YUV to OTB from Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, or Android — any device with a modern browser works.

Simple Workflow

Designed for simplicity. Select your YUV file, choose OTB output, and the converter handles everything else.

How to convert YUV 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

YUV is a raw pixel data format storing images in the Y'UV color model, where image data is separated into a luminance component (Y', representing brightness) and two chrominance components (U/Cb and V/Cr, representing color difference signals). The YUV color model originated with analog color television broadcasting — specifically the NTSC system adopted in 1953 and the PAL system in 1967 — where backward compatibility with existing black-and-white receivers required separating brightness from color information. In digital imaging, the ITU-R BT.601 standard (1982) formalized the digital YCbCr encoding derived from the analog YUV model, defining the conversion matrices and sample precision used by virtually all digital video and broadcast systems. YUV raw files contain no header, compression, or metadata — they are flat sequences of luminance and chrominance samples in a specified ordering (4:4:4, 4:2:2, 4:2:0, or other subsampling ratios), requiring external specification of dimensions, bit depth, and subsampling scheme. The 4:2:0 subsampling mode (where chrominance has half the horizontal and half the vertical resolution of luminance) is particularly common, used by H.264, H.265, AV1, and most consumer video codecs. One advantage is direct video pipeline compatibility: YUV data is the native input format for video encoders, hardware display controllers, and camera sensor ISPs, making raw YUV the most direct representation for frame-accurate video processing and analysis. The perceptual efficiency of the YUV color model is another fundamental strength — separating luma from chroma enables effective subsampling that halves or quarters the color data with minimal visible impact. YUV data is processed by FFmpeg, ImageMagick, and all video processing tools.
Developer: ITU-T (CCIR)
Initial release: 1982
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 YUV to OTB?

YUV data from video encoding, broadcast, and processing pipelines becomes universally viewable once converted to OTB format.

How do I open OTB files?

Use mobile device tools to view OTB files. This format enjoys broad software support on all major platforms.

Is my YUV data kept private?

Privacy is built in — YUV uploads are purged after processing, and OTB files are auto-deleted within 24 hours.

Is YUV to OTB conversion accurate?

Convertio preserves the visual content from your YUV data during conversion — the OTB output faithfully represents the source.

Do I need to install anything?

Nothing to install. The converter operates entirely online in your browser — no plugins, extensions, or software.

What quality can I expect from OTB output?

OTB provides monochrome mobile bitmap. The converter optimizes output for the best balance of quality and compatibility.