H.264 files being replaced with much smaller h.265 versions

Help & Support
#1

Sonarr version 3.0.9.1549:
Mono version 6.12.0.182:
OS: Docker on Synology
Debug logs:
Description of issue:

Sonarr seems to be replacing any h.264 encoded file with an h.265 file even though the h.265 file is significantly smaller. For example, it has just replaced Motherland.Fort.Salem.S03E10.1080p.WEB.h264-GOSSIP which was 2.3GB with Motherland.Fort.Salem.S03E10.1080p.HEVC.x265-MeGusta which is just 431MB. I know h.265 is more efficient but, bearing in mind I have no idea what I’m talking about, I struggle to believe the smaller file is better quality.

I can’t see anything in my settings that would trigger this behaviour. My quality profile is set up like this:

image
image874×902 40.4 KB

I’ll turn on debugging if the logs are required but I suspect this is a user issue so any pointers as to how I can stop it will be gratefully received.

Thanks.

#2

Sounds like you have x265 as a preferred word

#3

Thanks and I hadn’t thought of that, but I haven’t.

image
image2750×356 11.1 KB

#4

I don’t see how the second release is “better” than the first. It doesn’t even have the quality in the name so doesn’t that make it “unknown” for sonarr when it evaluates the release?

#5

Looking closer
Megusta has no quality only a resolution so it’s treated as HDTV.

Sonarr did exactly what you told it to do as for some reason you prefer hdtv above webdl.

#6

Ah OK. I didn’t realise that no quality + 1080p resolution = HDTV. It was obviously just coincidence that both the files I saw this had happened to had h.264 versions replaced by h.265 versions. Thanks I now understand what happened.

As for why I have HDTV above Web in my quality profile the answer is pretty simple - ignorance! I’ve been searching for a list of qualities in ascending quality order but haven’t found one. This site suggested Web Rips were poor quality. I couldn’t see a way to separate DL from Rips in my quality profile so I put HDTV above them. I assume from your post they’re not so I’ve swapped them around.

#7

Most webrip are fine these days.

The default quality of a quality profile order lists form “best” to “worst”

Qualities are explained in the wiki.

You can just edit the group and group them but not sure whyd you’d do that

#8

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