To loop several prerecorded files into a YouTube live stream, add them to an OBS Studio VLC Video source, enable Loop Playlist, and send the encoder feed to a stream created in YouTube Studio. The playlist repeats, but this local setup is not automatically an uninterrupted 24/7 service: your computer, OBS, VLC, power, and internet connection must keep working.
Before you start: check YouTube eligibility
YouTube requires a verified channel with no live-streaming restrictions in the previous 90 days. First-time live-streaming activation can take up to 24 hours, so enable it well before the planned broadcast. See YouTube’s live-stream eligibility guidance and encoder setup instructions.
- Use video files you have the rights to stream. A live broadcast is not exempt from copyright rules; unauthorized music or footage can lead to claims, restrictions, or interruption.
- Review YouTube’s policies and the status of your channel before scheduling a public stream.
- Decide whether the stream is a finite broadcast or intended to run continuously. YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived; do not assume a longer stream will be archived as one complete video. Plan separate recording and archive handling if the broadcast exceeds that duration.
Set up a looping playlist in OBS
1. Install OBS Studio and VLC
Install OBS Studio and VLC on the computer that will run the broadcast. OBS’s VLC Video source depends on VLC being installed. Match their architectures: OBS documentation specifies 64-bit VLC for a 64-bit OBS installation. See OBS Media Sources.
2. Add the files to a VLC Video source
- Open OBS and select the scene that should carry the stream.
- In the Sources box, choose + and select VLC Video. If the option is missing, check that VLC is installed and that its 32-bit or 64-bit architecture matches OBS.
- Give the source a clear name, then add the local video files to its playlist using the source properties.
- Enable Loop Playlist so playback restarts after the final file. Leave Shuffle Playlist off to play files in the order listed; enable it only if randomized playback is intended.
- Arrange the source in the scene and check that it fills the canvas as intended. OBS documents common supported formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM; test your exact files before relying on them in a public broadcast.
The loop setting controls what happens when the playlist runs out of files. It does not establish that transitions between unlike files will be seamless, or recover a failed file, application, computer, or connection.
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Connect OBS to YouTube Live Control Room
- In YouTube Studio, open Live Control Room and create or schedule an encoder stream.
- Copy the stream URL and stream key shown for that stream. In OBS, open Settings > Stream, select the appropriate service/server configuration, and enter the URL and key. YouTube’s encoder setup guide explains the connection process.
- Treat the stream key like a password. Do not publish or share it; reset it in YouTube Studio if you believe it has been exposed.
- Use RTMPS where supported. YouTube recommends testing before a broadcast and monitoring stream health while live.
Choose resolution, frame rate, and bitrate
Set OBS output to a resolution and frame rate appropriate for the files and the upload connection. A higher setting is not automatically better if the computer cannot encode it or the connection cannot sustain its bitrate. YouTube’s current H.264 recommendation for 1080p at 30 fps is 5 Mbps minimum and 14 Mbps recommended; those are YouTube’s encoder-setting recommendations, not a guarantee that a particular internet connection can maintain them. Consult YouTube’s encoder settings, bitrate, and resolution guidance for the relevant codec and output format.
- Match the OBS canvas/output to the intended presentation and avoid stretching files with different aspect ratios without checking the result.
- Choose a bitrate that your sustained upload capacity can support reliably, leaving headroom for normal connection variation. A speed-test peak alone does not prove a stable stream.
- Check the audio track and levels as well as the picture. Test representative files, especially if they have different audio formats, loudness, frame rates, or aspect ratios.
- Do not treat a recommended bitrate as a required fixed value for every resolution, frame rate, or codec. Use YouTube’s table for the settings you actually select.
Test the broadcast and keep it running
- Start the encoder in OBS and check YouTube’s live preview before making the stream public or sharing its watch link.
- Let representative portions of the playlist play. Confirm order, looping behavior, image framing, and audio; test the point where the last item should return to the first.
- Watch OBS and YouTube stream-health messages for dropped frames, ingest problems, or other warnings. Confirm playback from the YouTube watch page and a mobile device.
- For a local 24/7 broadcast, keep the computer powered on, prevent sleep, keep OBS and VLC running, and maintain a reliable internet connection. Plan for power, software, and network failures rather than assuming the playlist loop prevents them.
- When the broadcast is meant to end, stop the encoder in OBS and confirm the stream has ended in YouTube Studio.
Troubleshooting common problems
VLC Video is missing from the OBS source list
Install VLC and restart OBS. If both are installed but the source is still unavailable, check that 64-bit VLC is installed for 64-bit OBS (or use matching architectures).
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The playlist stops after the last file
Open the VLC Video source properties and enable Loop Playlist. Check that the source still has the intended files and test the end of the playlist in advance.
Files play in an unexpected order
Turn off Shuffle Playlist if you want the listed sequence, then review the playlist order in the source properties.
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YouTube does not receive the OBS feed
Confirm the stream is created or scheduled in Live Control Room and that OBS has the matching stream URL and key. Check the connection and YouTube stream-health status. If the key may have been exposed, reset it and update OBS with the replacement.
Playback stutters or stream health degrades
Check OBS for dropped frames and YouTube’s health messages. A bitrate beyond stable upload capacity can cause ingest trouble; reduce output bitrate or resolution, verify the connection, and test again before a public broadcast.
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The live archive is missing or incomplete
YouTube’s encoder setup guidance says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. For streams at or beyond that duration, do not rely on an automatic complete archive; arrange separate recording or archive handling. See YouTube’s encoder setup guidance.
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