This ensures we are targeting standard encoding formats, not strictly 4K (which is naturally HEVC but handled differently).
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.
Here is the paradox: Your server might work harder playing an x265 file than an x264 file. sonarr prefer x265
The Verdict: Prefer x265 only if your user base uses modern hardware, or if you have an Intel CPU with Quick Sync (7th gen or newer) or a dedicated GPU for hardware transcoding.
👉 At equal visual quality (VMAF 93+), x265 is ~40% smaller. This ensures we are targeting standard encoding formats,
Release Profiles let you score releases or block based on words.
Create boosts to favor x265:
Create blocks for unwanted releases:
Notes: