Sonarr Prefer X265 May 2026

Optimizing Sonarr: How to Prefer x265 (HEVC) Content Sonarr is a powerful

for managing TV show libraries, but by default, it often prioritizes standard H.264 (x264) files. For many users, x265 (HEVC)

is the gold standard because it offers roughly 50% better compression efficiency, saving massive amounts of disk space without sacrificing visual quality.

Because Sonarr treats x265 as a codec rather than a "quality" (like 1080p or WEB-DL), you cannot simply move it to the top of a list. Instead, you must use Custom Formats Release Profiles to tell Sonarr that x265 is your preferred choice. 1. Why Prefer x265? Storage Efficiency sonarr prefer x265

: High-definition episodes that might be 1.5GB in x264 often shrink to 600–800MB in x265. Future-Proofing : x265 is essential for 4K and 8K content. Note of Caution

: x265 requires more processing power to play. While modern smart TVs and devices like Nvidia Shield handle it easily, older hardware may struggle or "stutter". Prefer Content - x265,HEVC,Ecnoder,Rips · Issue #1724

The "Lazy Man's Method" (Release Profiles)

If Custom Formats feel overwhelming, Sonarr offers a simpler, albeit less elegant, solution: Release Profiles. Optimizing Sonarr: How to Prefer x265 (HEVC) Content

1. Go to Settings → Release Profiles.
2. Click + to add a new profile.
3. In the Must Contain box, type: x265, HEVC
4. Warning: This will make Sonarr ignore all x264 releases. Use this only for a secondary "Archive" profile, not your main daily profile.

✅ What does “prefer x265” do in Sonarr?

Sonarr v3/v4 lets you set release profiles with “must contain” or “prefer” keywords. Adding x265 or hevc to the “prefer” list tells Sonarr to give higher scores to x265 releases, but still download x264 if no x265 exists.

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Advanced Tactics: Avoiding Fake x265 (Remuxes)

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.

To protect yourself, you must combine x265 preference with Minimum Size limits. Go to Settings → Release Profiles

Go to Settings → Indexers → Size Limits:

• Set a "Minimum" size for x265: Unfortunately, Sonarr cannot set different limits per codec easily. Instead, use Release Profiles (Settings → Release Profiles) to block "repack" groups known for trash encodes.
• Pro Tip: Create a Custom Format called Good-Encoding that requires x265 AND DTS or TrueHD (large audio tracks). Encoders who care about quality preserve high-bitrate audio.

11) Storage and Bandwidth Considerations

• x265 reduces file size for similar quality vs x264; plan for storage savings but account for occasional larger 4K HDR releases.
• If auto-upgrading, ensure your download client and storage quotas can handle peak simultaneous downloads.
• Consider retention (keep older versions for a grace period) until confirm playback compatibility.

9) Post-Processing: Remuxing, Conversion, and Subtitle Handling

• Sonarr does not transcode natively; it downloads releases as-is.
• If you want to transcode x264 → x265 rather than re-download:
  • Use external tools (handbrake-cli, ffmpeg, or scripts) integrated via Completed Download Handling or Drone Factory (deprecated).
  • Prefer re-downloading true x265 releases to preserve quality and subtitles unless you need a consistent codec across library.
• For remux/mux consistency (container changes, HDR metadata), use scripts to preserve subtitles, chapter markers, and HEVC metadata.
• Ensure post-processing scripts update media server (Plex/Emby/Jellyfin) libraries and optionally update metadata agents.

🧠 Sonarr-specific behavior

• Prefer x265 ≠ require x265. Sonarr will still grab x264 if no x265 is available.
• Works best with release groups that consistently produce high-quality x265 (e.g., PSA, QxR, MeGusta, Vyndros).
• Upgrading: If you upgrade from x264 to x265, Sonarr will replace the file and save space.

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1. Hardware Compatibility

x265 requires significantly more processing power to decode.

• Direct Play: Most modern Smart TVs (2016+), Roku, Apple TV, and Shield devices can play x265 natively.
• Transcoding: If your media server (Plex, Jellyfin, Emby) has to transcode x265 to x264 for a client, it will crush your CPU. Ensure your clients support Direct Play, or you have a powerful enough CPU/GPU for HEVC transcoding.