NBIMG Customize Boot Splash for HTC Device on Linux

1. What is Boot Splash
Boot Splash is a static image appear at first time a "smart" phone booting. This is different with bootanimation, by default bootanimation appear after boot splash.


2. Boot Splash Tools for "htc device"
HTC Released a tools to produce boot splash named nbimg (AFAIK this is binary for windows machine) and a blogger POF released a code nbimg (for Linux) on his sites POF.HQ , he also released the code repository on Poliva / nbimg Github.com


3. Build up Boot Splash tools

• Open terminal
• Download nbimg Tools from Poliva / nbimg Github.com and save to your /home/user/folder (or somewhere else)
$ cd ~
$ git clone https://github.com/poliva/nbimg.git
Cloning into 'nbimg'...
remote: Counting objects: 46, done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (33/33), done.
remote: Total 46 (delta 15), reused 42 (delta 11)
Unpacking objects: 100% (46/46), done.

There will be a folder named nbimg
$ cd nbimg
$ ls
LICENSE Makefile README.md nbimg.c

There is one C file named nbimg.c ( This is a source code need to be compiled with gcc to be am executable binary file )... let's go and run :
$ gcc nbimg.c -o(this is letter o not zero) nbimg
$ ls
LICENSE Makefile README.md nbimg nbimg.c


• Manage nbimg tools
Ref to above, location of nbimg file is in /home/user/nbimg. It's no problem to keep in current folder location. However every time we are going to use the tools, we must put all stuff in this /home/user/nbimg folder. It's good idea to maintain whole system into standard state and no bothering the update of system.
In my situation where I have a folder /home/user/bin ... in bin is in my path and I put all non standard system executable files like android tools : repo, split-bootimg.pl, unpack-bootimg.pl, mkbootfs, mkbootimg ... etc ... etc , thus for me will be better to move nbimg executable from /home/user/nbimg to /home/user/bin thus I can call and run nbimg from any where in the system


4. Customizing a Boot Splash Image

• Presumed location of executable nbimg in /home/user/nbimg
• Grab a picture BMP image or make one up for the size of your screen resolution device i.e 540 x 960 ( htc sensation size ) save as *.bmp with options 24 bits
• Put *.bmp image into /home/user/nbimg : let say file name is splash.bmp
• Fun begin
$ cd /home/user/nbimg
$ ls
LICENSE Makefile README.md nbimg nbimg.c splash.bmp
$ ./nbimg -F splash.bmp
=== nbimg v1.2.1
=== Convert IMG/NB <--> BMP splash screens
=== (c)2007-2012 Pau Oliva - pof @ xda-developers

[] File: splash.bmp
[] No padding added. Check file size.
[] Encoding: splash.bmp.nb
[] Image dimensions: 540x960
[] Adding HTC splash screen signature
[] Done!

$ ls
LICENSE Makefile README.md nbimg nbimg.c splash.bmp splash.bmp.nb


• To check other many options on nbimg command, please run on terminal
$ ./nbimg [enter]

=== nbimg v1.2.1
=== Convert IMG/NB <--> BMP splash screens
=== (c)2007-2012 Pau Oliva - pof @ xda-developers

Usage: nbimg -F file.[nb|bmp|img]

Mandatory arguments:
-F Filename to convert.


If the extension is BMP it will be converted to NB/IMG.
If the extension is NB/IMG it will be converted to BMP.


Optional arguments:
-w Image width in pixels. If not specified will be autodetected.
-h Image height in pixels. If not specified will be autodetected.
-t Manually specify the padding pattern (usually 0 or 255).
-p Manually specify the padding size.
-n Do not add HTC splash signature to NB file.
-s Output smartphone format (for old WinCE devices).

NBH arguments: (only when converting from BMP to NBH)
-D Generate NBH with specified Model ID (mandatory)
-S NBH SignMaxChunkSize (64 or 1024)
-T NBH header type, this is typically 0x600 or 0x601


• Now copy/rename file splash.bmp.nb into splash.img $ cp splash.bmp.nb splash.img
  $ ls
  LICENSE Makefile README.md nbimg nbimg.c splash.bmp splash.bmp.nb splash.img
  
• splash.img is flashable image into the device
• Finished

5. Flashing boot splash image into device
ATTENTION


• A Device must be S-OFF to enble to be flashed safely
• You have fastboot excutable live in your pc
• Fastboot usb drivers properly set up in your PC
• Boot your device into fastboot state( most device by push power and volume down buttons simultaneously )
• Connect the device into PC via USD
• Flash via fastboot command
$ fastboot flash splash1(This is name of a partition in the device) splash.img
sending 'splash1' (1012 KB)...
OKAY [ 0.165s]
writing 'splash1'...
OKAY [ 0.352s]
finished. total time: 0.516s

$ fastboot reboot


• Your device should be rebooting with New Boot Splash
• FINISHED ....