Sonarr Prefer X265 <Edge>

: Either restrict your profile to a single quality level (e.g., only 1080p) or create separate profiles for different quality tiers, each with its own codec preferences.

: When streaming to remote clients or sharing your library with family, smaller file sizes mean less buffering and lower data usage.

(a powerful but advanced config).

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.

Go to and select the profile you use (e.g., HD-1080p ). Scroll down to the Custom Formats section at the bottom. sonarr prefer x265

Optimizing Sonarr for x265 / HEVC: The Ultimate Automation Guide

Beyond codec preferences, your overall file size goals can be influenced by adjusting Sonarr's quality definitions. Found at , these definitions control the acceptable file size ranges for each quality type (WEBDL-1080p, Bluray-1080p, etc.). : Either restrict your profile to a single quality level (e

Here, you will build a "Release Title" condition. This is a Regular Expression (Regex) that catches every variation of x265 naming conventions.

: The successor to HEVC, Versatile Video Coding (VVC), promises another ~50% compression improvement over HEVC. While still in early adoption, expect x266 implementations to emerge in the coming years. You cannot simply tell Sonarr, "I want a x265 720p file

In the column next to it, enter a positive number (e.g., 100 ).

Create two Sonarr instances – one for x264 (remote users) and one for x265 (local 4K library).