Sonarr Prefer X265 File
A common mistake users make is creating a restriction that simply looks for the word "x265" in the release title.
The Problem: Scene groups know users look for "x265." Because x265 is highly compressible, bad actors often take a low-quality 700MB x264 file, re-encode it to x265, and shrink it to 200MB. They label it "Bluray x265," but it looks like a pixelated mess.
The Solution: You must prefer x265 from reputable sources and at reasonable bitrates. You want encoder transparency, not just file size reduction. We will achieve this using Release Profiles and Custom Formats.
x264:-100 (note Sonarr treats preferred words as boosts).If you want, I can produce:
Here’s a draft piece for configuring Sonarr to prefer x265 (HEVC) encodes, including rationale and practical steps. You can adapt this for a wiki, guide, or automation note.
If you have many remote users watching via a web browser, do not prefer x265. You will peg your CPU at 100% every time someone watches an episode. You need hardware transcoding (Plex Pass + Intel QSV or NVIDIA NVENC).
| Factor | Rating (1–10) | |--------|---------------| | Storage efficiency | 9/10 | | Quality vs size tradeoff | 8/10 | | Ease of use (Sonarr) | 9/10 | | Hardware compatibility | 5/10 | | Future-proofness | 9/10 | sonarr prefer x265
Overall:
✅ Turn on “prefer x265” if you have a modern home setup and value storage space.
❌ Avoid it if you share your Plex server with friends/family using random devices.
Pro tip: Create two Sonarr instances – one for x264 (remote users) and one for x265 (local 4K library).
In Sonarr (v3 and v4), you can prefer x265 (HEVC) by using Custom Formats or Release Profiles to assign higher "scores" to those releases. Because Sonarr treats x264 and x265 as the same "Quality" (e.g., both are 1080p), you must use these scoring systems to act as a tiebreaker. 1. Configure Custom Formats (Sonarr v4) A common mistake users make is creating a
The most robust method in the latest versions of Sonarr is to use Custom Formats to identify and score x265 releases. Create the Format: Go to Settings > Custom Formats.
Add a Condition: Create a new format (e.g., named "x265") and add a Release Title condition with a regular expression like /\b([xh].?265|hevc)\b/i to catch common naming conventions.
Assign a Score: Go to Settings > Profiles, select your quality profile, and give your new "x265" format a positive score (e.g., +100). 2. Use Release Profiles (Sonarr v3) Optionally add negative preferred words with large negative
If you are still on v3, you use Preferred Words instead of Custom Formats. Prefer x265 files? - Help & Support - sonarr :: forums