Problem: "I added x265 as +100, but Sonarr keeps downloading x264."
Solution 1: Check the raw release name. Is x265 actually in the title? Some indexers hide the codec in the description. Sonarr only sees the release name.
Fix: Add HEVC and H.265 to your preferred terms.
Problem: "It downloaded x265, but it's actually 720p when I wanted 1080p."
Solution 2: Your Quality Profile overrules your Codec preference. If you have "WebDL 1080p" set to score 100, and "HDTV 720p x265" set to score 50, Sonarr takes the 1080p x264. Fix: Lower your quality scores or create a Custom Format that is mutually exclusive. sonarr prefer x265
Problem: "Librarian OCD – I have both versions."
Solution 3: Go to Series > [Show Name] > Edit > Monitoring. Select "Only monitor future episodes" or manually delete the x264 file and use the "Re-scan" broom icon.
👉 At equal visual quality (VMAF 93+), x265 is ~40% smaller. Problem: "I added x265 as +100, but Sonarr
Sonarr adds up all the scores. A release tagged x265 gets +100. A release tagged x264 gets 0. An x265 release with DTS-HD (which you might score at +50) gets 150.
Result: Sonarr will aggressively grab x265 releases first. If no x265 exists for an old episode, it will fall back to x264. This keeps your automation running smoothly without "stuck" searches.
Follow these steps exactly:
Here, you will build a "Release Title" condition. This is a Regular Expression (Regex) that catches every variation of x265 naming conventions.
Click + Condition → Release Title. Paste the following regex into the Regular Expression box:
(?i)\b(x|h)\.?265\b|\bhevc\b
What does this catch?
Optional for Anime fans: If you watch a lot of anime, also add a second Condition to catch 10bit releases (usually synonymous with high-quality HEVC).
Click Save. You now have a detector.