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Larix Broadcaster and FFmpeg do different jobs: Larix can publish a phone’s live camera and audio to YouTube, while FFmpeg can pace and loop a prerecorded file or process a feed it can actually reach. For a phone camera, send Larix directly to YouTube unless you have a separately configured server or ingest endpoint for FFmpeg. For a continuous prerecorded stream, use FFmpeg to loop and send the file, then plan separately for process, network, and YouTube-session interruptions.
Choose the right signal path first
There is no single built-in Larix-to-FFmpeg connection established by the product documentation. The right setup depends on whether you are sending a live phone camera or looping a recording:
- Live phone camera to YouTube: Larix sends the video and audio directly to YouTube. FFmpeg is not needed for that basic path.
- Prerecorded video to YouTube: FFmpeg reads the file, paces it in real time, optionally loops it, and sends the output to YouTube.
- Larix through FFmpeg: Larix must publish to a separately configured, reachable ingest service or server, and FFmpeg must be configured to read that service’s feed. You need to know the ingest protocol and address before building this path; neither app automatically provides a generic local relay.
In every path, YouTube’s server URL and stream key are publishing credentials. Copy them from the selected stream in YouTube Studio, keep the key private, and enter it only into the encoder or service that should publish to your channel. YouTube’s setup instructions explain the server URL and key fields: Create a YouTube live stream with an encoder.
Send a live phone stream from Larix to YouTube
- In YouTube Studio, create or select a live stream and copy its server URL and stream key.
- In Larix Broadcaster, add an RTMP/RTMPS connection using YouTube’s server URL and the stream key. Softvelum’s YouTube example combines them in the form
rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/{stream-key}; use the endpoint YouTube supplies for your stream, and prefer RTMPS when it is offered. See Larix documentation and Larix Grove. - Configure the connection to send both video and audio. Softvelum notes that YouTube cannot take a video-only or audio-only stream in its example configuration.
- Start the broadcast in Larix and check YouTube Studio’s stream preview and health indicators before sharing the live event.
For device-side reconnect behavior, check Larix’s current settings and test on the actual phone and app version. Softvelum’s FAQ says the default behavior does not retry when the network goes offline; it describes an advanced option for attempting connections despite network-presence checks and an iOS reconnect timeout without network. Those controls are not an end-to-end uptime guarantee. See Larix FAQ.
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Loop a prerecorded file with FFmpeg
This example is for a local prerecorded file with both video and audio, intended for a 1080p30 H.264 output. It loops the input, reads it at its natural playback rate, encodes H.264/AAC, and sends the result to the YouTube ingest URL. The YouTube server URL and stream key are placeholders: use the values shown for your selected stream in YouTube Studio.
- Install an FFmpeg build with the
libx264encoder available. Check that the source file contains the expected streams withffprobeor another media inspector; this command is not designed for a video-only or audio-only file. - Set the YouTube values in your shell without putting the key in a public script or command transcript:
export YOUTUBE_SERVER_URL='paste-the-server-url-from-YouTube-Studio' export YOUTUBE_STREAM_KEY='paste-the-stream-key-from-YouTube-Studio' - Run the loop command:
ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i "input.mp4" -c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 8M -maxrate 8M -bufsize 16M -r 30 -g 60 -keyint_min 60 -sc_threshold 0 -pix_fmt yuv420p -c:a aac -b:a 128k -ar 44100 -f flv "${YOUTUBE_SERVER_URL}/${YOUTUBE_STREAM_KEY}" - Start the YouTube event and verify the incoming preview and stream health before treating the broadcast as live to viewers.
The example’s 8 Mbps video rate is one choice within YouTube Help’s recommended 5–14 Mbps range for H.264 1080p30. It uses a two-second keyframe interval at 30 fps. Recalculate the bitrate and keyframe interval if you change codec, resolution, or frame rate rather than carrying these settings over unchanged.
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FFmpeg documents -re as input pacing (equivalent to -readrate 1), not an output retry or reconnect option. -stream_loop -1 repeats the file input; it does not restart FFmpeg after a crash, restore a lost network connection, or keep a YouTube event open indefinitely. Avoid applying an artificially low read rate to a true live/capture input, which FFmpeg warns can cause packet loss. See the FFmpeg documentation.
Match output settings to YouTube’s ingest guidance
YouTube’s current encoder guidance recommends RTMPS, constant bitrate (CBR) video, a two-second keyframe interval (not over four seconds), frame rates up to 60 fps, and AAC or MP3 audio. It gives different bitrate recommendations according to codec, resolution, and frame rate; examples from its table include:
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| H.264 format | YouTube-recommended bitrate range |
|---|---|
| 720p30 | 3–8 Mbps |
| 1080p30 | 5–14 Mbps |
| 1080p60 | 6–17 Mbps |
These are ranges in YouTube Help’s current guidance, accessed in 2026; the page does not show a publication year. Consult its full table for the exact codec and format you plan to send: Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions. Larix’s FAQ has a separate resolution-related bitrate table, but the reviewed passage does not specify the units adjacent to its values; do not treat those figures as Mbps or as YouTube’s recommended settings.
H.264 has broad encoder support. YouTube also lists H.265 and AV1 for supported ingest cases, but do not assume a particular phone or Larix edition can send them: Softvelum describes HEVC-over-RTMP as a Premium capability. Select only a codec that your device, app edition, and chosen ingest path support.
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What “continuous” does—and does not—mean
A continuous broadcast has several separate failure points. The file loop handles repeat playback only; other layers need their own recovery plan.
- Input continuity: For a recording, confirm the file decodes and contains the streams your command expects. For a live Larix feed, test the phone’s network and configured reconnect behavior.
- FFmpeg process continuity: Decide how you will detect and restart a stopped FFmpeg process. The loop command alone does not supervise itself.
- Output continuity: Decide what will happen if the connection to YouTube drops, including whether an operator or a supervisor restarts the output and how the interruption is communicated to viewers.
- YouTube event continuity: Stopping encoder content ends a stream according to YouTube’s setup guide. YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived; that is not a promise of an infinite session or recovery after a dropped connection. See YouTube’s encoder setup guide.
Test with representative motion and audio, then monitor YouTube’s stream health during the broadcast. YouTube’s own instruction is: “Make sure to test before you start your live stream.”
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Check rights before looping or rebroadcasting
Use video and audio that you created or are authorized to stream. Repeating a file does not make its music, footage, or other material yours, and technical acceptance by the ingest server is not permission to use copyrighted material or a guarantee of monetization. Review the rights for every element in the program and YouTube’s applicable rules before scheduling a long-running broadcast.
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