Quality scoring

This document explains how Cinephage calculates quality scores to select the best releases for your library.

Overview

Unlike simple "highest resolution wins" systems, Cinephage uses a sophisticated scoring algorithm that considers 50+ factors. This approach provides better results by accounting for:

• Resolution (but not resolution alone)
• Source quality (BluRay vs WEB-DL vs HDTV)
• Codec efficiency (H.265 vs H.264)
• Audio quality (Atmos vs DTS-HD vs AAC)
• HDR formats (Dolby Vision vs HDR10)
• Release group reputation
• Your personal preferences (Custom Formats)

Scoring Formula

The total score is calculated as:

Total Score = Base Score + Source Bonus + Codec Bonus + Audio Bonus + HDR Bonus + Custom Format Scores

Each component contributes to the final decision.

Base Score (Resolution)

Resolution provides the foundation score:

Resolution	Base Score	Notes
2160p (4K)	100	Highest base score
1080p	80	Standard HD
720p	50	Reduced detail
480p	20	Standard definition
Unknown	0	No resolution detected

Why Not Resolution Alone?

A 1080p BluRay (80 + 40 = 120) scores higher than a 2160p HDTV (100 + 10 = 110) because source quality matters significantly.

Source Quality Bonus

The original source affects quality dramatically:

Source	Bonus	Description
BluRay	+40	Physical disc rip, best quality
WEB-DL	+30	Direct streaming service rip
HDTV	+10	Captured from broadcast
DVD	+5	Standard definition disc
CAM/TS	-1000	Theater recording (effectively blocked)

Why Source Matters:

• BluRay - Highest bitrate, no compression artifacts
• WEB-DL - Good quality from streaming services
• HDTV - Variable quality, may have logos/commercials
• CAM/TS - Poor quality, handheld camera recordings

Source detection

Cinephage detects sources from release names:

Movie.2023.1080p.BluRay.x264-SPARKS    → BluRay (+40)
Movie.2023.1080p.WEB-DL.DDP5.1-NTb     → WEB-DL (+30)
Movie.2023.1080p.HDTV.x264-LOL         → HDTV (+10)
Movie.2023.HDTS.x264-EVO               → TS (-1000)

Codec Efficiency Bonus

Modern codecs provide better quality at smaller sizes:

Codec	Bonus	Notes
AV1	+25	Latest codec, best efficiency
H.265/HEVC	+20	Good compression, widely supported
H.264/x264	+0	Baseline, no bonus
MPEG-2	-10	Outdated, inefficient
DivX/XviD	-15	Legacy codecs

Codec Efficiency:

• AV1 - 50% smaller than H.264 at same quality
• H.265 - 40% smaller than H.264
• H.264 - Baseline efficiency
• Older codecs - Larger files, lower quality

Codec detection

Movie.2023.1080p.BluRay.AV1-GRP        → AV1 (+25)
Movie.2023.1080p.BluRay.x265-SPARKS    → H.265 (+20)
Movie.2023.1080p.BluRay.x264-EVO       → H.264 (+0)
Movie.2023.DVDRip.DivX-OLD             → DivX (-15)

Audio Quality Bonus

Audio quality significantly impacts the viewing experience:

Audio Format	Bonus	Channels	Description
Dolby Atmos	+25	7.1+	Object-based 3D audio
DTS:X	+25	7.1+	Object-based audio
DTS-HD MA	+20	5.1/7.1	Lossless surround
TrueHD	+15	5.1/7.1	Dolby lossless
DD+ (E-AC3)	+10	5.1	Dolby Digital Plus
DTS	+8	5.1	Standard DTS
AC3	+5	5.1	Dolby Digital
AAC	+3	2.0/5.1	Efficient codec
MP3	+0	2.0	Basic audio

Audio Considerations:

• Lossless (DTS-HD MA, TrueHD) - Perfect quality, large files
• High-quality lossy (DD+, DTS) - Excellent quality, smaller
• Standard (AC3, AAC) - Good quality, efficient
• Stereo (AAC) - Sufficient for dialogue

Audio detection

Movie.2023.2160p.BluRay.Atmos.TrueHD7.1 → Atmos (+25)
Movie.2023.1080p.BluRay.DTS-HD.MA.5.1   → DTS-HD MA (+20)
Movie.2023.1080p.BluRay.DD5.1-SPARKS    → AC3 (+5)
Movie.2023.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0-NTb      → AAC (+3)

HDR Format Bonus

High Dynamic Range provides better color and contrast:

HDR Format	Bonus	Description
Dolby Vision	+30	Best HDR, dynamic metadata
HDR10+	+20	Dynamic metadata, open standard
HDR10	+15	Static metadata, widely supported
HLG	+10	Broadcast HDR
SDR	+0	Standard dynamic range

HDR Considerations:

• Dolby Vision - Best quality, requires compatible display
• HDR10+ - Similar to Dolby Vision, Samsung-focused
• HDR10 - Good HDR, static metadata
• SDR - No HDR, compatible with all displays

HDR detection

Movie.2023.2160p.BluRay.DV.HDR10+.x265  → Dolby Vision + HDR10+ (+50)
Movie.2023.2160p.BluRay.HDR10.x265      → HDR10 (+15)
Movie.2023.1080p.BluRay.x264            → SDR (+0)

Release Group Bonus

Some release groups are known for quality:

Group Type	Bonus	Examples
Tier 1	+15	SPARKS, DON, HDX, NTb
Tier 2	+10	EVO, RARBG, YIFY
Tier 3	+5	Various scene groups
Unknown	+0	No reputation data
Avoided	-20	Known poor quality

Why Groups Matter:

• Consistent quality
• Proper encoding settings
• Reliable sources
• No fake or mislabeled releases

note

Group scoring is subjective and configurable via Custom Formats.

Custom Format Scoring

Custom formats allow you to define personal preferences:

Creating scoring rules

Each custom format has a score that adds to or subtracts from the total:

# Boost HEVC releases
Name: 'x265 Boost'
Score: +20
Conditions:
  - Contains: 'x265'
  - OR Contains: 'HEVC'

# Block certain content
Name: 'Block 3D'
Score: -1000
Conditions:
  - Contains: '3D'
  - OR Contains: 'HSBS'

Source-Only scoring (v0.5.0+)

Score releases based solely on source quality, ignoring resolution:

Name: 'Source Priority'
Score: +50
Conditions:
  - Source: 'BluRay'

This is useful when you want the best source regardless of resolution.

Resolution-Only scoring (v0.5.0+)

Score releases based solely on resolution, ignoring source:

Name: '4K Priority'
Score: +100
Conditions:
  - Resolution: '2160p'

This prioritizes resolution over source quality.

Built-in profile overrides (v0.5.0+)

Override built-in Quality Profiles at runtime:

Profile	Override Behavior
Quality	Custom format scores take precedence
Balanced	Built-in scores + custom additions
Compact	Override with user-defined thresholds

Custom format examples

Prefer Specific Resolution:

Name: '1080p Preferred'
Score: +10
Conditions:
  - Contains: '1080p'
  - Does NOT contain: '2160p'

Require Minimum Size:

Name: 'Minimum Quality'
Score: -1000
Conditions:
  - Size less than: 1GB
  - Contains: '1080p'

Prefer Release Groups:

Name: 'Trusted Groups'
Score: +15
Conditions:
  - Contains: '-SPARKS'
  - OR Contains: '-DON'
  - OR Contains: '-NTb'

Complete Scoring Examples

Example 1: high-quality movie

Release: Inception.2010.2160p.UHD.BluRay.DV.HDR10+.Atmos.TrueHD7.1.x265-SPARKS

Score Breakdown:

Base (2160p):          100
Source (BluRay):       +40
Codec (x265):          +20
Audio (Atmos):         +25
HDR (DV + HDR10+):     +45
Group (SPARKS):        +15
─────────────────────────
Total:                 245

Result: Excellent quality, will be selected if available.

Example 2: balanced quality

Release: Movie.2023.1080p.BluRay.DTS-HD.MA.5.1.x264-EVO

Score Breakdown:

Base (1080p):          80
Source (BluRay):       +40
Codec (x264):          +0
Audio (DTS-HD MA):     +20
HDR (None):            +0
Group (EVO):           +10
─────────────────────────
Total:                 150

Result: Good quality, balanced file size.

Example 3: low quality (blocked)

Release: Movie.2023.HDTS.x264-Unknown

Score Breakdown:

Base (Unknown):        0
Source (TS):           -1000
Codec (x264):          +0
Audio (Unknown):       +0
HDR (None):            +0
Group (Unknown):       +0
─────────────────────────
Total:                 -1000

Result: Blocked by negative score, will not be selected.

Example 4: custom format impact

Release: Movie.2023.1080p.WEB-DL.x265.DD5.1-NTb

Base Score:

Base (1080p):          80
Source (WEB-DL):       +30
Codec (x265):          +20
Audio (DD):            +5
─────────────────────────
Subtotal:              135

With Custom Formats:

Subtotal:              135
"x265 Boost":          +20
"WEB-DL Preferred":    +10
"NTb Bonus":           +5
─────────────────────────
Total:                 170

Scoring in Practice

Search process

1. Query Indexers - Search all enabled indexers
2. Parse Results - Extract metadata from release names
3. Calculate Scores - Apply scoring algorithm
4. Filter Results - Remove blocklisted/low-quality
5. Select Best - Choose highest scoring release
6. Send to Download - Add to download queue

Upgrade decision

When considering upgrades:

1. Compare Scores - New vs existing
2. Check Cutoff - Has cutoff been reached?
3. Verify Monitoring - Is item monitored?
4. Apply Delays - Wait for better releases?
5. Queue Upgrade - Download better version

Profile-Specific Scoring

Quality profile cutoffs

Each profile defines when to stop upgrading:

Profile	Target	Cutoff	Example
Quality	4K HDR	2160p BluRay	Upgrade until 4K BluRay
Balanced	1080p	1080p BluRay	Upgrade until 1080p BluRay
Compact	720p	720p WEB-DL	Upgrade until 720p WEB-DL

Score thresholds

Profiles can define minimum scores:

Minimum Score: 100
- Scores below 100 are rejected
- Ensures minimum quality standard

Troubleshooting Scoring

Why was lower quality selected?

Possible Reasons:

1. Higher quality failed custom format rules
2. Higher quality is blocklisted
3. Higher quality indexer is down
4. Delay profile waiting for better releases
5. Cutoff already reached

Debugging:

• Check search results manually
• Review custom format scores
• Verify indexer status
• Check delay profile settings

Custom format not applied

Check:

1. Format is assigned to profile
2. Condition syntax is correct
3. Release name matches pattern
4. Format is enabled

Unexpected scores

Verify:

• Quality profile assigned correctly
• Custom format scores are correct
• No conflicting rules
• Release name parsing correctly

Best Practices

Start with defaults

• Use built-in profiles initially
• Understand scoring before customizing
• Test Custom Formats thoroughly

Document your rules

• Keep notes on why scores are set
• Name formats descriptively
• Review periodically

Test with real releases

• Use actual release names
• Verify score calculations
• Check upgrade behavior

Balance quality and size

• Higher score ≠ always better
• Consider storage constraints
• Set realistic cutoffs

See Also

• Set Up Quality Profiles - Configure quality settings
• Key Concepts - Core terminology
• Architecture Overview - System design