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To keep an OBS YouTube stream going when a video ends, make playback repeat in OBS and keep a valid video feed reaching YouTube. For one file, enable Loop on its Media Source; for multiple files, enable Loop Playlist on a VLC Video source. YouTube’s separate auto-stop setting controls whether you can reconnect to the same broadcast after encoder streaming stops—it does not keep a broadcast alive when no video is arriving.
Choose the right OBS source and enable looping
For one video file: Media Source
- In OBS, add or select the scene containing your video, then add a Media Source and choose the local file.
- Open the source properties and enable Loop. OBS documents this option as repeating the file after playback completes. The exact interface wording can vary by OBS version; the OBS Media Sources documentation was published on January 11, 2022: OBS Media Sources.
- Leave the source active in the scene that is sent to YouTube. Restart playback when source becomes active is for restarting playback when the source is activated; it is not a setting for extending YouTube’s broadcast lifetime.
For several files: VLC Video source
- Install VLC, then add a VLC Video source in OBS and select the files for the playlist.
- Enable Loop Playlist in the source properties. OBS lists it as on by default, but check the setting rather than assuming it is enabled.
- If you use 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC. OBS’s documentation says VLC must be installed for the VLC Video source to appear and specifies matching 64-bit VLC for 64-bit OBS. See OBS Media Sources.
Set YouTube auto-stop for the reconnect behavior you want
In YouTube Live Control Room, open the broadcast’s settings and review auto-stop. Turn it off if you want the option to reconnect to the existing broadcast after OBS stops streaming. OBS’s YouTube integration warns that with auto-stop enabled, “You will not be able to reconnect.” YouTube describes auto-start and auto-stop as controls for whether streaming can be started or stopped from the encoder. The setting applies to the broadcast; YouTube says reusing a stream copies its auto-start and auto-stop choices. See YouTube’s live stream settings help.
Auto-stop is not a substitute for looping. YouTube says it automatically ends a broadcast around a minute after video stops arriving on the bound live stream. Disabling auto-stop preserves reconnectability, but it does not supply video or keep a no-signal broadcast running indefinitely. The active OBS program output still needs to send video. See Google’s Life of a Broadcast.
Check the stream after setup
- Start the OBS stream and confirm that the video is visible in YouTube Live Control Room.
- Let the file or playlist reach its end. Confirm that OBS starts the file again or advances through the playlist and that YouTube continues receiving video.
- If OBS stops sending, use the broadcast’s auto-stop setting to determine whether reconnecting to the existing broadcast is available. If the broadcast has already ended, reconnectability alone cannot revive it; start or schedule another broadcast as needed.
- Watch YouTube Live Control Room’s stream health. OBS’s Help Portal says a rising dropped-frames counter with a yellow or red connection indicator means the connection to the streaming service is unstable or cannot keep up with the configured bitrate. See OBS Help Portal.
Troubleshoot a playlist that does not keep the stream connected
- The video ends and stays ended: Check that Loop is enabled for a Media Source or Loop Playlist for VLC Video. They are different source settings; YouTube auto-stop does not loop media.
- VLC Video is missing from OBS: Install VLC. If OBS is 64-bit, use 64-bit VLC, as specified in the OBS documentation.
- The broadcast ends despite auto-stop being off: Check whether OBS is still sending video. YouTube’s lifecycle documentation says the broadcast ends around a minute after video stops arriving, so auto-stop off cannot keep a no-signal feed alive indefinitely.
- You cannot reconnect to the existing broadcast: Check whether auto-stop was enabled for that broadcast. OBS’s YouTube integration warns that reconnecting will not be possible with auto-stop enabled. YouTube’s setting is per broadcast, and a reused stream copies its choices.
- Video continues but stream health degrades: Check the dropped-frames counter and connection indicator in Live Control Room. Yellow or red with increasing dropped frames points to an unstable connection or a feed that cannot keep up with its configured bitrate; the cited OBS guidance does not identify a particular cause for an individual connection.
Or let it run in the cloud
If the goal is an always-on YouTube stream without keeping OBS or a computer running at home, StreamNeo runs uploaded videos and playlists from the cloud: upload your video or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. Nothing has to stay on at home; each slot streams the uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps at one flat price, with automatic recovery if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card, once per account. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month.
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Quick Recap
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