You can loop a video in OBS and have it start automatically when you log in to Ubuntu, but OBS is a graphical application—not a documented headless Linux daemon. The reliable DIY pattern is to configure and test OBS in the target user’s desktop session, then use that same session’s startup mechanism. A system service that starts before a graphical session may have no display and fail.
Choose the right background model
“Background” can mean either that OBS starts automatically in your logged-in desktop session or that it runs as a server daemon without a desktop. OBS on Linux requires an X window system or Wayland, as well as an OpenGL 3.3-compatible GPU; its requirements page cautions that compatible hardware alone does not guarantee streaming capability (OBS System Requirements, published 2021-08-25).
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- Desktop-session startup: the practical choice for a normal Ubuntu computer. OBS starts after the target user’s graphical session starts, with that session’s display and devices available.
- System-level or headless service: do not assume this will work. A service started outside the graphical session may lack a display, and the cited OBS documentation does not establish a supported headless Linux mode or a universal systemd setup.
Complete setup interactively as the Ubuntu user who will run the stream. That user must be able to read the media files and access any audio devices OBS needs. OBS’s Linux installation page, published in 2021, lists Ubuntu 18.04 or newer and gives PPA and apt instructions; because that page is dated, check current OBS and Ubuntu package support before relying on its commands (OBS Linux installation).
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Loop one video with Media Source
- Open OBS and select or create the scene you want to stream.
- In Sources, choose + and add Media Source.
- Select the local video file and enable Loop in the source properties.
- Confirm the video appears in the preview and plays again after reaching its end. Check that the file path is readable by the Ubuntu account that will launch OBS.
OBS Media Source supports common formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM. Supported audio formats are also listed in the OBS Media Sources documentation.
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Loop a playlist with VLC Video
- Install VLC if the VLC Video source type is unavailable in OBS.
- Add a VLC Video source and create or select the playlist of local files.
- Check the playlist order and leave Loop Playlist enabled if you want it to repeat.
- Verify every file is available to the account running OBS and test the transition between items.
OBS documents that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC for this source. See the OBS Media Sources documentation for source details.
Connect OBS to YouTube Live safely
- In YouTube Studio, open the relevant live event in Live Control Room and obtain its stream URL and stream key.
- In OBS, open Settings > Stream. Select YouTube if the installed OBS version offers the service integration, or choose the custom server/key fields and enter YouTube’s stream URL and key.
- Keep the stream key private. Treat it like a password: do not place it in a public service file, screenshot, or log. If it is exposed, reset it in Live Control Room.
- Start streaming from OBS and check the event preview and status in Live Control Room. For scheduled events, an encoder connection does not by itself prove that the event is public or live; follow YouTube’s on-screen controls to start the event. Auto-start and auto-stop behavior depends on the event’s settings.
YouTube’s encoder instructions cover copying the stream URL and key, previewing a scheduled event, and stopping the encoder and event: YouTube: Stream using an encoder. Read its current steps alongside the OBS labels in your installed version.
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Set output quality and verify the stream
Use YouTube’s current encoder recommendations as a starting point, then choose a rate your upload connection can sustain. For H.264 over RTMP/RTMPS, YouTube recommends CBR and a two-second keyframe interval; the interval must not exceed four seconds. The following are YouTube Help recommendations on the encoder-settings page accessed 2026, not guarantees of performance:
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| 720p at 60 fps | 6 Mbps |
| 720p at 30 fps | 8 Mbps |
| 1080p at 60 fps | 12 Mbps |
| 1080p at 30 fps | 14 Mbps |
For the full current table, other codecs, ingest details, and recommendations, use YouTube’s encoder settings guide. Prefer RTMPS where supported. Do not choose a bitrate solely because it appears in the table: leave headroom on the actual upload connection and monitor YouTube’s stream health.
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Test before relying on automatic startup
OBS’s Quick Start guidance encourages a short test before a first stream, and YouTube advises testing with representative motion and audio (OBS Quick Start Guide; YouTube encoder instructions). Check these conditions yourself before leaving the setup unattended:
- Watch through a complete loop boundary; confirm the next playback begins cleanly.
- Listen for missing, clipped, or unexpectedly repeated audio.
- Check the YouTube preview and stream-health indicators while the video is moving.
- Restart OBS and confirm it can reconnect without exposing the key.
- Test the actual desktop-session startup behavior after logging out and back in, and after reboot if reboot recovery is required.
- Test what happens after an internet interruption. Do not assume OBS or YouTube will recover in the way you need without observing it.
Make OBS start in the Ubuntu desktop session
Once the scene, loop, stream settings, and test are complete, configure the target user’s graphical-session startup. Ubuntu desktop versions and OBS packaging can differ, so treat the following as a deployment pattern rather than a universally tested menu path or service file:
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- Confirm OBS launches and streams when opened manually by the account that will own the session.
- Use that Ubuntu desktop’s Startup Applications or equivalent session-startup settings to add OBS as a startup application. If entering a command, use the installed OBS executable and its supported launch options.
- OBS documents the
--startstreaminglaunch parameter, but that switch does not make OBS headless or turn it into a system daemon. Consult the installed version’s OBS launch parameters. - Log out and back in to verify that OBS opens in the graphical session and the intended scene and source are active. Then verify the event in Live Control Room rather than assuming the encoder connection made it live.
A systemd user service may be workable in a particular desktop configuration, but it must be validated with that Ubuntu release, OBS package, display/session environment, audio devices, media permissions, and login-persistence behavior. The cited OBS launch documentation does not provide a complete service unit or promise operation before login. Do not copy a system-level unit with a real stream key embedded in it.
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Duration, archiving, copyright, and reused content
YouTube’s encoder help says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. The cited guidance does not promise that a stream lasting longer than 12 hours will be archived in full. If the stream must run for days or its archive matters, verify current YouTube behavior for your account and event configuration rather than treating a single OBS session or its recording as indefinite (YouTube encoder instructions).
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Only stream video and audio you have the rights to use. A loop being technically continuous does not establish permission to rebroadcast its contents or guarantee that a channel satisfies YouTube’s monetization policies. Review YouTube’s current copyright rules and reused-content guidance for your material and channel; do not assume that adding a live wrapper to prerecorded content changes the underlying rights or policy assessment.
Troubleshoot common failures
- OBS opens but shows a blank or failed render: confirm the user has an active X or Wayland session and that OBS is starting within it, not as a system service without display access. Check the system requirements for the installed release and graphics hardware.
- The loop stops at the end of the video: open the Media Source properties and enable Loop. For multiple files, use VLC Video and check Loop Playlist.
- VLC Video is missing or fails to load: install VLC and ensure its architecture matches OBS; 64-bit OBS needs 64-bit VLC.
- OBS cannot open a file after login: use a stable local path and check read permissions as the same Ubuntu user that starts OBS. A file available only to another account or removable drive may not be available at startup.
- YouTube does not receive the encoder: recheck the selected service or custom server, stream URL, key, network connection, and encoder status. If the key may have leaked, reset it in Live Control Room.
- The encoder connects but the event is not live: check the preview and event controls in Live Control Room. Scheduled-event auto-start and auto-stop settings affect the workflow.
- The stream drops or reports poor health: compare the configured bitrate with the actual upload capacity, use YouTube’s current recommendations, and inspect stream health before leaving the stream unattended.
- Startup works only after manual login: that is consistent with a desktop-session startup configuration. If you need operation without a logged-in graphical session, OBS’s cited Linux documentation does not establish a supported headless solution; validate a different deployment approach rather than assuming the desktop startup entry is a daemon.
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