Sonarr Prefer X265 Link Jun 2026

Some scene groups incorrectly tag non-x265 releases with the word "HEVC" in the description. To be safe, let's create another Custom Format called Not-x264 (we won't use it), but actually, we need an anti-av1 rule.

Now, we need to add the conditions. Click the button.

Optimizing Your Media Library: How to Prefer x265 in Sonarr If you're running a home media server, storage space is always at a premium. Transitioning your library to x265 (HEVC)

Here is a major pitfall. Some uploaders take an x264 source and re-encode it to x265 at an extremely low bitrate to save space. The result is a blocky, artifact-ridden mess. sonarr prefer x265

: x264 scene releases are usually uploaded to trackers within minutes of an episode airing. High-quality x265 encodes often take several hours or days to appear.

To help tailor this setup for your specific homelab, please share a few details:

In the section at the bottom, find your new "x265/HEVC" format and give it a positive score, such as 100 . Some scene groups incorrectly tag non-x265 releases with

To prevent grabbing those "junk" re-encodes mentioned in Part 2, you should add a "Low Quality" custom format with a negative score.

. If they don't, your server will have to "transcode" the video, which can heavily tax your CPU. Ready to reclaim your hard drive space?

This review covers the "Why," the "How," and the potential pitfalls of setting up an x265 preference in Sonarr. Click the button

Before diving into configurations, it's critical to understand Sonarr's fundamental decision-making hierarchy. Sonarr evaluates releases in a specific order:

: High-definition 1080p files that might take up 2GB in x264 can often be compressed to under 800MB in x265.