Sonarr Prefer X265 -

A common trap is Sonarr downloading an HDR file for your non-HDR TV, causing washed-out colors. A more advanced Custom Format can combine conditions: a positive match for x265 and a negative match for HDR , DV , or PQ , effectively creating a preference.

For the absolute best results, look into . This is a community-maintained repository of highly optimized Regex patterns for Sonarr and Radarr.

Name the format something recognizable, such as Prefer x265 . Click or add a condition manually. Select Release Title from the condition dropdown menu.

Tagging:

Go to Settings > Custom Formats . Create a Format for x265: Add a new format and name it "x265/HEVC". sonarr prefer x265

In the section, add a "Release Title" specification.

Before you go all-in on x265, keep these points in mind:

Before diving into the settings, it is important to understand the benefits and trade-offs of switching your library to x265. 💾 Massive Storage Savings

Optional for Anime fans: If you watch a lot of anime, also add a second Condition to catch 10bit releases (usually synonymous with high-quality HEVC). A common trap is Sonarr downloading an HDR

To make Sonarr prefer (HEVC) releases while still allowing it to fall back to other formats, you should use Custom Formats with a positive scoring system. This allows Sonarr to rank releases and automatically upgrade an existing file if a better-scored x265 version appears. Core Implementation Steps

I can provide the exact or Trash Guides JSON codes tailored to your system. Share public link

You cannot simply tell Sonarr, "I want a x265 720p file." If your quality profile ranks WEBDL-1080p higher than HDTV-720p , Sonarr will always download a x264 1080p WEBDL file if it sees one, completely ignoring your x265 preference.

Don't just grab the smallest file! Enabling the Size Limit setting in your Quality Profile can help filter out suspiciously small releases, ensuring you maintain a baseline of visual quality. Select Release Title from the condition dropdown menu

Use a condition with a regular expression like \b(x265|hevc)\b . 2. Assign Scores in Profiles

To make Sonarr prefer x265 (HEVC) content over x264, you must use Custom Formats Release Profiles

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