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How to Loop MP4 Videos with MediaMTX for a YouTube Live Stream

FFmpeg can repeat an MP4 indefinitely into MediaMTX, but YouTube needs a separate encoder configuration with its own stream URL and key.
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To loop an MP4 indefinitely, FFmpeg can publish it to a MediaMTX RTMP path with -stream_loop -1. That documented command sends the file to MediaMTX running locally; it does not send the video directly to YouTube. YouTube Live is a separate ingest step that needs its own stream URL and key from Live Control Room.

How the MediaMTX-to-YouTube workflow fits together

Think of this as two publishing legs: FFmpeg sends the looping file to MediaMTX, and a separate encoder-to-YouTube configuration sends a feed to YouTube. MediaMTX’s documented FFmpeg example covers the first leg. YouTube’s encoder instructions cover its own URL, key, preview, and Go live workflow. The reviewed documentation does not provide a single official end-to-end relay command joining those two legs, so do not use the localhost example as though it were YouTube’s ingest address.

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For the MediaMTX steps below, the server is assumed to be installed and running on the same machine as FFmpeg. See MediaMTX’s basic usage and FFmpeg publishing guide for setup and protocol details.

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Publish a looping MP4 to MediaMTX

  1. Start MediaMTX. Run the server so it is listening for publishers. This example targets MediaMTX on the same computer at localhost, using RTMP port 1935 and the path mystream.
  2. Make the MP4 available to FFmpeg. Change to the directory containing the file, or replace file.mp4 with the correct path.
  3. Run the documented command:
    ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i file.mp4 -c copy -f flv rtmp://localhost:1935/mystream

The options matter: -stream_loop -1 requests indefinite repetition of the input; -re reads at real-time pace; -c copy copies the encoded tracks rather than re-encoding them; and -f flv selects the publishing container used for this RTMP example. The URL is MediaMTX’s local publishing destination, not a YouTube URL.

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RTMP or RTSP to MediaMTX?

MediaMTX documents both RTMP and RTSP publishing options and identifies RTSP as its recommended FFmpeg method. Choose the protocol that your MediaMTX setup and the next component in your workflow can read. This choice is about publishing to MediaMTX; it does not itself configure YouTube ingestion. See MediaMTX’s RTMP client guide for its RTMP publishing details.

Configure YouTube Live separately

  1. In YouTube Studio, open Live Control Room and create or select a stream.
  2. Copy the stream URL and stream key shown for that stream into the encoder that will send the feed to YouTube. Treat the key as a credential; do not share or publish it.
  3. If you want encrypted transport, reveal and use YouTube’s RTMPS URL from the lock icon in the stream settings. YouTube recommends RTMPS.
  4. Start sending the feed. Wait for it to appear in the Live Control Room preview, check the stream health, then select Go live when it is ready.

The FFmpeg-to-MediaMTX command above does not fill in YouTube’s URL or key. You need a relay or encoder arrangement that reads the MediaMTX stream and sends it to YouTube. The official pages cited here describe the two sides independently, not a complete relay configuration. For YouTube’s setup flow, see Create a YouTube live stream with an encoder and Encrypt your stream using RTMPS.

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Match the video and audio to YouTube’s ingest guidance

YouTube’s published encoder recommendations vary by codec, resolution, and frame rate. For RTMP/RTMPS, its listed video codecs include H.264, H.265 (HEVC), and AV1; it supports up to 60 fps, recommends a two-second keyframe interval (no more than four seconds), lists AAC or MP3 audio, and recommends constant bitrate encoding. Choose the bitrate row matching the actual codec, resolution, and frame rate you send rather than applying one number to every stream. Check YouTube’s current table before going live: Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.

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Because the MediaMTX example uses -c copy, it does not convert incompatible tracks. An MP4 filename alone does not establish that its video and audio codecs, frame rate, resolution, or bitrate match the profile you intend to send to YouTube. Inspect the source tracks, then validate the actual YouTube preview and stream-health messages. If they do not meet the chosen ingest profile, use a suitable re-encoding workflow instead of stream copy. No particular file or setup is guaranteed to work unchanged.

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Test and monitor before relying on a long stream

  • Test with representative audio and movement, not only a static opening frame.
  • Check the Live Control Room preview before clicking Go live.
  • Watch stream health and any warnings during the broadcast, and check both audio and video quality.
  • YouTube’s encoder setup help says streams shorter than 12 hours are automatically archived when ended. Do not assume an indefinitely long stream will be archived as one continuous video.

For YouTube’s testing and monitoring advice, see Streaming tips.

Common problems and what to check

  • FFmpeg cannot connect to the RTMP address: Confirm MediaMTX is running on the same computer, listening on the expected port, and that the path in the command matches the path you intend to publish.
  • YouTube does not show a preview: Confirm the separate YouTube encoder is using the URL and key from the correct Live Control Room stream, and that it is sending a feed. The localhost MediaMTX destination is not a substitute for those credentials.
  • The stream connects but YouTube reports an issue: Check the source codecs and the encoder’s codec, bitrate, frame rate, keyframe interval, and audio settings against YouTube’s current recommendations. Copy mode will not repair a mismatch.
  • The video or audio behaves unexpectedly at a loop boundary: Check the MP4’s tracks and test the repeated playback in the YouTube preview. The documented loop flag repeats the input, but it does not promise seamless transitions for every file.
  • The broadcast stops or is interrupted: Check FFmpeg and MediaMTX output, the relay or encoder sending to YouTube, and YouTube’s stream-health messages to locate which leg failed.
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