Prefer X265 | Sonarr

Mastering Sonarr: How to Prioritize x265 (HEVC) and Reclaim Your Storage Space

In the world of home media servers, storage space is the ultimate luxury. As we curate 4K remuxes, complete TV series box sets, and high-bitrate Blu-ray rips, it’s alarmingly easy to fill a 20TB array.

One by one, the "grabbing" icons appeared. The server began to whistle as the download client took over. Sonarr was systematically replacing his 40GB season packs with 12GB x265 versions. Elias watched the "Disk Space Free" counter. sonarr prefer x265

  • Must contain: x265 OR HEVC AND 10bit OR 10-bit OR 10 bit OR 10b
  • Verify custom format patterns match release titles exactly (case-insensitive), tweak with additional tokens.
  • Increase release profile boost or custom format score.
  • Ensure size limits in Quality Profile don't exclude x265.
  • Confirm cutoffs and existing file quality allow upgrade (Sonarr considers existing file’s quality and size).

Tip: This matches common naming conventions like x265, h.265, or HEVC. Click Save. Step 2: Assign a Score in Your Quality Profile Mastering Sonarr: How to Prioritize x265 (HEVC) and

Sonarr v4 utilizes a powerful Custom Formats system that allows for granular control over which releases are "scored" higher than others. 1. Create the Custom Format Navigate to Settings > Custom Formats. Click the + button to add a new format. Name it "x265 HEVC". Add a Condition and select Release Title. Must contain: x265 OR HEVC AND 10bit OR

Sonarr Setting: In your Indexer settings, add resolve: True to prefer repacks and propers, but add x265 to your "Preferred" list only for groups like MeGusta.

  1. Open Sonarr (Version 3 or 4).
  2. Navigate to Settings → Custom Formats.
  3. Click the + (Add Custom Format) button.
  4. Name it: x265-HVEC.
  5. Switch to the Conditions tab.

Biggest issue: If you remote stream and your client doesn’t support x265, your Plex server will transcode → high CPU usage.