Sonarr Prefer X265 ((full))

: These act as a secondary scoring system within those quality tiers. If Sonarr finds two files of the same quality tier (for example, two WEBDL-1080p releases), it uses Custom Format scores to break the tie. By awarding positive points to releases containing the "x265" or "HEVC" tags, you instruct Sonarr to grab or upgrade to the x265 version. Step-by-Step Guide to Configuring "Prefer x265" in Sonarr

What do you stream to? (Firestick, Apple TV, PC, Web Browser?)

: Navigate to Settings > Quality . For your preferred resolutions (like WEBDL-1080p or Bluray-1080p), adjust the Minimum Size slider slightly upward. Setting a floor of roughly 400MB–500MB for a 45-minute episode prevents Sonarr from grabbing heavily degraded micro-encodes. sonarr prefer x265

is the single most effective way to cut your storage usage in half without sacrificing visual quality.

Keep the field blank unless you want to restrict this rule to specific TV shows. Leaving it blank applies the rule to your entire library. Click Save . Advanced Optimization: Avoiding Fake Encodes : These act as a secondary scoring system

This comprehensive guide covers everything needed to configure a robust workflow using modern Custom Formats , preventing common pitfalls and maintaining optimal quality. Why Prefer x265/HEVC in Sonarr?

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. Step-by-Step Guide to Configuring "Prefer x265" in Sonarr

In the Regular Expression (Regex) field, enter: \b(x265|hevc|h265)\b (This matches any release containing x265, HEVC, or h265). Click . Step 2: Assign Scores in Your Quality Profiles Navigate to Settings > Profiles .

This is where the magic happens.

As always, use Sonarr's feature for a series to test your configuration. This will show you which releases Sonarr would choose and why, helping you verify that your x265 preferences are being applied as intended before any files are downloaded.