Sonarr Prefer X265 Review

: A CLI utility that can be integrated with Sonarr and Radarr as a custom script, converting newly downloaded files to formats that support direct playback on your media server.

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

Find your newly created Prefer x265 format and assign it a positive score (e.g., up to +100 ).

(?i)\b(x|h)\.?265\b|\bhevc\b

To prioritize x265, you must ignore the "Quality" settings (Bluray, WebDL, HDTV) and focus on .

Sonarr v3/v4 lets you set 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.

👉 At equal visual quality (VMAF 93+), x265 is ~40% smaller. sonarr prefer x265

Never let a codec preference override your minimum quality standard. A bad x265 is worse than a good x264. Use Custom Formats to prefer , not demand , and you'll build a library that's both lean and reliable.

Go to the Series tab, select the shows you want to upgrade, and click Interactive Search or Search Monitored to let Sonarr find the more efficient versions.

For users running Sonarr to automate their TV show libraries, prioritizing this format is a game-changer. This guide explains how to configure Sonarr to prefer x265 releases automatically. Why Prefer x265 in Your Media Pipeline? : A CLI utility that can be integrated

: Review the search results list. In Sonarr v4, you will see a dedicated column showing the computed Custom Format score. Verify that releases containing x265 , h265 , or HEVC show a higher score than standard x264 releases.

If your playback clients (like older Apple TVs, cheap streaming sticks, or web browsers) do not support HEVC hardware decoding, your media server (Plex, Jellyfin, or Emby) will be forced to transcode the video in real-time. This process requires massive CPU power or a dedicated GPU. Ensure your clients support direct play for HEVC before proceeding. Step-by-Step Guide: How to Prefer x265 in Sonarr v3 and v4

: Not all x265 files are created equal. A 2GB x264 file will often look better than a heavily compressed 300MB x265 file. Sonarr v3/v4 lets you set with “must contain”

Each time Sonarr evaluates a release, it adds the total score from all matching preferred terms. The release with the highest score within a given quality level gets selected.

If you already have a massive library of x264 files and don't want to re-download everything, is your best friend. It's a cross-platform tool that can automatically scan and transcode your entire library from x264 to x265 , shrinking your storage footprint automatically.