dtan.xyz

Encoder(s): Jensen
Release notes: Since there is still no definitive 1080p SDR release of Mononoke out there-a sentiment shared by many, not just myself-I decided to properly convert the DCP into a traditional Rec.709 version. This is a follow-up to the Rec.2020 encode I put out a few months ago. As a bonus for this update, I’ve included multi-subtitles and the English dub, taken from various torrents on the tracker. I think it’s worth breaking down a few technical nuances here. Let’s dive in. 
The DCP features a very wide color gamut (WCG) and a clear edge in overall quality, along with a more generous frame crop in certain scenes, making it an excellent source to encode from. The Rec.2020 version I created earlier maps 100% of the DCP's total color volume. However, it's limited to setups that fully support and properly track WCG. To fix this, I made a Rec.709 version using ACES with proper tone mapping (zero clipping), so anyone can enjoy a "correct" presentation on virtually any display. While this stuff is a big deal to enthusiasts, it’s mostly just buzzwords to casual viewers, and many don't even notice issues like color clipping. That said, both the old Blu-ray and the new 2026 Blu-ray editions have a share of issues and quirks that prevent them from being "archival-tier" or delivering peak quality. I’m purposely leaving out audio for now to keep this post from turning into an essay, but there are some critical nuances there as well. 
The source for every existing release of this film is a scan of the original 35mm print. For the most part, the only difference is the color timing and processing-but that processing makes or breaks the image. As you can see in the third screenshot comparison pair, the old Blu-ray simply hard-clipped the colors (which, mind you, are way wider than the Rec.709 container) down to Rec.709 levels. This caused some nasty, oversaturated clipping in the reds. Just look at the pouch on the main character's belt. For the new 2026 Blu-ray, they did a fresh color grade. While it fixes the aforementioned clipping issues, it introduces new ones-specifically, a heavy push of red tones into orange. And despite all their over-cautious safety margins, minor color clipping still reared its ugly head, this time in the blues (check out the protagonist's clothing in comparison pair 8). The other comparison pairs tell a similar story. 
Then there is the issue of... accuracy to the original 1997 theatrical presentation. Despite its color clipping, the old Blu-ray actually had the closest color timing to the tone of the original film print (or at least how it looked projected in theaters). On the other hand, the new 2026 Blu-ray is highly problematic (I’m not talking about the 2026 UHD version-that one is great). So, when doing my Rec.709 conversion, I anchored my color choices to the old Blu-ray release as the most accurate reference point. 
As you can see in the comparison link, I’ve included two Rec.709 versions tone-mapped via ACES: one with a D65 white point and one with D60. Modern digital content is authored for a D65 white point (neutral daylight). However, since our source is inherently analog film, it was crucial to keep the tones from looking too cold. Theatrical film projection-thanks to xenon bulbs-is naturally warm, usually sitting around D60 to D63. Because of this, I also output a Rec.709 version emulating a D60 white point. Logically enough, this version ended up looking closest to the colors of the old Blu-ray. In the end, I decided to pack this one as the primary release because it’s the most authentic. Plus, when watching in a light-controlled room (the way movies are meant to be watched), your eyes adapt to this white point as a true white without an external reference. You don't need to worry about noticing a yellowish tint while watching-even though modern colorists are notoriously guilty of overcooking that look nowadays. 
To recap: the Rec.2020 version from the older encode is completely untouched except for the new subtitles. It still delivers 100% of the DCP color volume for a theatrical experience at home on supported hardware, though it’s slightly less essential now that we have the new 2026 UHD with HDR and Dolby Vision. Meanwhile, this new Rec.709 alternative brings that exact same experience to a much wider range of displays. You can roughly judge how well the two versions match in this photo comparison of my Sony TV (which has 92% Rec.2020 coverage). I regularly use it as a reference monitor, even if that’s technically a sin. But hey, you work with what you've got. 



Black and white areas are bt709 colors, color elements are areas located outside the bt709 matrix, DCi-P3 palette (although some elements use a palette wider than p3 (for example, the sky or blood) and as a result are displayed within the bt2020 framework, this is the maximum possible color gamut and the closest possible matrix to CIE colors today):


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Subtitles:


| Author| Language| Format |
| ------- |:------------------:| -----:| -----:|
| IT, NF, THORA, Ghibli, Punisher694, Reanimedia | English, Castilian, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Dutch, Norwegian, Russian, Ukrainian, Hungarian, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, Romanian, Czech, Hindi, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Chinese, Japanese | SRT, ASS |


Audio:


| Author| Language| Format |
| ------- |:------------------:| -----:| -----:|
| BD_Audio 5.1 | ENG | Dolby Digital Plus |
| DCP_Audio 5.1 | JPN | TrueHD, Dolby Digital |




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