: As more devices support 4K and higher resolutions, the efficiency and compatibility of x265 make it a more future-proof choice. Preferring x265 ensures that your media library is optimized for current and future viewing needs.
Note: For more advanced setups, you can import complex JSON specifications directly from TRaSH Guides. 2. Configure Quality Profiles Go to .
Think of it this way: In Sonarr's mind, quality is the king, and codec preferences (like x265) are merely tiebreakers used when two releases have the .
Creating the format tells Sonarr how to find x265 files, but you still need to tell Sonarr to actually want them. Navigate to > Profiles .
Do your playback devices support ? Share public link sonarr prefer x265
: A standard 1080p Bluray rip in x264 often hovers around 8 GB to 15 GB. An equivalent x265 encode typically compresses down to 3 GB to 6 GB without a perceptible drop in quality.
Are you more concerned about or saving maximum disk space ?
This isn't because x265 is bad, but because many x265 groups use x264 sources for encoding, resulting in a significant loss of quality. For HD content, a high-quality x264 encode generally provides better visual fidelity than a "microsized" x265 encode derived from a lossy source.
Set the to 0 . This ensures Sonarr will still download standard x264 files if no x265 release exists, preventing your queue from stalling. Click Save . Dealing with the "WebRip" and "Web-DL" Conundrum : As more devices support 4K and higher
Save the profile. Sonarr will now add 100 points to any release containing those keywords, prioritizing them over x264 releases. For Sonarr v3
This ensures you don't just get the smallest file, but the best-optimized file from a reputable encoder. Summary Testing
For a more thorough capture, include variations that may appear in release titles:
: Review the search results list. In Sonarr v4, you will see a dedicated column showing the computed Custom Format score. Verify that releases containing x265 , h265 , or HEVC show a higher score than standard x264 releases. Creating the format tells Sonarr how to find
The Ultimate Guide to Sonarr: How to Prefer x265 / HEVC for a Cleaner, Smaller Media Library
Sonarr doesn't know if an x265 file was made by a skilled encoder or a script-kitty who nuked the quality to save 50MB. Low-quality x265 releases are notorious for introducing "banding" in skies and "blocking" in dark scenes. x264, being older, has more standardized, high-quality release groups.
To help refine this setup for your specific home lab, tell me:
For the absolute best results, look into . This is a community-maintained repository of highly optimized Regex formulas for Sonarr and Radarr.