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Custom formats

Custom Formats allow you to create personalized scoring rules that go beyond the built-in quality profiles. Define exactly what you want in a release and Cinephage will prioritize it.

What Are Custom Formats?​

Think of them as "search filters with scores":

  • Conditions - Match specific text patterns in release names
  • Score - Add or subtract points when conditions match
  • Priority - Higher scores = preferred releases

Creating a Custom Format​

Navigate to Settings > Quality > Custom Formats:

1. Basic information​

  • Name - Descriptive name (e.g., "x265 Preferred", "No HDR")
  • Description - Optional explanation

2. Add conditions​

Click Add Condition and choose a type:

Condition Types​

TypeMatchesExample
Release TitleFull release nameMovie.Name.2023.1080p.BluRay.x264-Group
ResolutionVideo resolution720p, 1080p, 2160p
SourceRelease sourceBluRay, WEB-DL, HDTV
CodecVideo codecx264, x265, AV1
AudioAudio formatDTS, AAC, TrueHD
HDRHDR formatHDR10, Dolby Vision
Release GroupEncoder groupSPARKS, RARBG, YIFY
SizeFile size range1-4 GB

3. Set match logic​

  • Must Contain - All conditions must match
  • Must Not Contain - Release is rejected if matches
  • Should Contain - Optional, adds score if matches

4. Assign score​

  • Positive score - Prefer these releases
  • Negative score - Avoid these releases
  • Reject - Block entirely (score: -10000)

Example Custom Formats​

Prefer x265/hevc​

Name: x265 Preferred
Conditions:
  - Codec: x265 (score: +100)
  - Codec: HEVC (score: +100)
  - Codec: x264 (score: -50)

Block low-quality groups​

Name: Block Cam Releases
Conditions:
  - Release Title contains: CAM (reject: true)
  - Release Title contains: TS (reject: true)
  - Release Title contains: HDCAM (reject: true)

Prefer specific group​

Name: SPARKS Preferred
Conditions:
  - Release Group: SPARKS (score: +200)

Size limits​

Name: Reasonable Size
Conditions:
  - Size: 500MB - 8GB (score: +50)
  - Size: >15GB (score: -100)

Using Custom Formats​

Assign to quality profile​

  1. Go to Settings > Quality > Quality Profiles
  2. Edit a profile
  3. Under "Custom Formats", enable your formats
  4. Set minimum score if needed

Score calculation​

Total Score = Base Profile Score + Sum of Custom Format Scores

Example:

  • Base (Balanced profile): +500
  • x265 Preferred matches: +100
  • SPARKS Preferred matches: +200
  • Total: +800

Minimum score​

Set a minimum score to reject low-quality releases:

  • 0 - Accept anything
  • 500 - Only decent quality
  • 1000 - High quality only

Condition Matching​

Text matching​

  • Contains - Substring match (case-insensitive)
  • Equals - Exact match
  • Regex - Regular expression (advanced)

Multiple values​

Add multiple values to a condition:

Codec: x265, HEVC, H.265
→ Matches any of these

Negation​

Use "Must Not Contain" for exclusions:

Must Not Contain:
  - Release Title: 3D
  - Release Title: HC (hardcoded subs)

Best Practices​

Start simple​

Don't create 50 Custom Formats at once. Start with 2-3 important ones:

  1. Prefer your favorite codec (x265)
  2. Block unwanted formats (3D, CAM)
  3. Prefer trusted groups

Test your formats​

Use the Test button to see if a format matches a release name:

Test String: Movie.Name.2024.1080p.BluRay.x265-Group
Format: x265 Preferred
Result: MATCH (+100 points)

Avoid over-scoring​

Don't make any single format worth 1000+ points:

  • Good: x265 (+100), SPARKS (+200), HDR (+50)
  • Bad: x265 (+5000) - overwhelms everything else

Use rejection sparingly​

Only reject truly unwanted content:

  • Reject: CAM, TS, hardcoded subs in wrong language
  • Don't reject: Just because you slightly prefer BluRay over WEB-DL

Advanced: Regex Conditions​

For complex matching, use regular expressions:

Match multiple groups​

Release Group matches regex: (SPARKS|RARBG|YIFY)

Match season packs​

Release Title matches regex: S\d{2}\.(?!E\d{2})
→ Matches S01. but not S01E01

Match specific bitrates​

Release Title matches regex: \d{3,4}kbps
→ Matches 1500kbps, 8000kbps, etc.

Troubleshooting​

Format not matching​

  1. Check case sensitivity - Matching is case-insensitive by default
  2. Verify condition type - "Release Title" vs "Release Group"
  3. Test with exact name - Copy/paste from indexer results

Wrong releases being grabbed​

  1. Check score calculation - Higher score wins
  2. Verify minimum score - May be too low
  3. Review format order - Earlier formats apply first

Too many rejections​

  1. Reduce reject conditions - Only block truly unwanted
  2. Check "Must Contain" - All must match, not any
  3. Use "Should Contain" - For optional preferences

See Also​