: 12 TB used for 1080p content; average file size 3.8 GB.
Abstract The evolution of video compression technology from H.264 (x264) to H.265 (x265) presents significant opportunities and challenges for automated media management systems. This paper examines the integration of the x265 codec into workflows orchestrated by Sonarr, a popular open-source TV series download manager. We analyze the storage efficiency, hardware requirements, and ecosystem compatibility of prioritizing x265-encoded content. The paper concludes that while x265 adoption offers substantial space savings, it demands careful configuration of Sonarr’s quality profiles, release filtering, and post-processing scripts to mitigate playback compatibility issues and avoid unintended release selection pitfalls. 1. Introduction Sonarr functions as a "DVR for Usenet and BitTorrent," automatically monitoring RSS feeds, downloading releases, renaming, and organizing television content. Historically, the de facto standard for scene releases has been H.264 (x264) in an MKV container. However, the maturation of the x265 encoder—the most common software implementation of the H.265 standard—has led to its proliferation in release groups. sonarr x265
^(\[.+\] ?)?(?=.*\b(x265|HEVC)\b)(?!.*\b(x264|AVC)\b).*$ : 12 TB used for 1080p content; average file size 3
ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=codec_name,profile,bits_per_raw_sample -of default=noprint_wrappers=1 "path" If codec_name=hevc and bits_per_raw_sample != 10 (i.e., not 10-bit), delete the file and trigger a search for an alternative. Environment : 50 TB unRAID server, Plex (10 remote users), Sonarr with 350 monitored series. Introduction Sonarr functions as a "DVR for Usenet