To switch between FFmpeg video playlists at set times, use three separate controls: FFmpeg sequences the files in each playlist, an external scheduler chooses which playlist or FFmpeg process runs, and YouTube Studio or the Live Streaming API manages the broadcast event. YouTube’s scheduled-event feature does not choose or switch FFmpeg input playlists for you.
How the scheduling pieces fit together
Think of the workflow as three layers:
- Playlist: FFmpeg reads and sequences the media files.
- Time-of-day selection: A separate scheduler, script, or service wrapper decides which playlist or FFmpeg process to run at a given time. This is an orchestration choice; the official FFmpeg and YouTube documentation describes sequencing and broadcast scheduling separately, not a built-in time-based playlist selector.
- YouTube broadcast: YouTube Studio or the Live Streaming API manages the live event and the incoming stream configuration.
Google’s YouTube Live Streaming API documentation explains the distinction: “A stream enables you to transmit audio-video content to YouTube, and it defines the settings for how you stream your content.” The broadcast event and the media sequence are related, but they are not the same control.
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Prepare one FFmpeg concat list for each schedule
Make a separate concat-demuxer text file for every ordered set of videos you want to run. The concat demuxer reads the listed files in order as though their packets had been muxed together. For example, you might maintain one list for a morning program and another for an evening program, then configure your external scheduler to select the right list at the relevant time.
Before relying on a list, check that its files have compatible streams, codecs, and time bases. The concat demuxer expects those characteristics to match. Do not assume that arbitrary files will join seamlessly: test the actual media and transition in the environment you plan to use.
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Pay particular attention to durations. Incorrect or estimated durations can result in gaps or artifacts. Where a file’s reported duration is unsuitable, the concat demuxer’s duration directive can override it. Also check path handling: the demuxer’s default safe mode rejects unsafe paths and directives, so a list that references paths it considers unsafe may fail unless you address path handling deliberately.
Choose playlists by wall-clock time
Use an external scheduler, script, or service wrapper to select the appropriate list or launch the corresponding FFmpeg process at the chosen time. This is the component that translates a clock schedule into a media choice. FFmpeg’s concat demuxer provides file sequencing; it does not, by itself, establish a time-of-day playlist schedule. YouTube Studio’s scheduled event also does not perform that selection.
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Plan explicitly for what should happen at each handoff: which list is selected, whether the current FFmpeg process ends or a new one starts, and how that action relates to the YouTube event you intend to run. The reviewed official documentation does not prescribe a particular scheduler, deployment environment, or automatic handoff strategy, so those details depend on your orchestration setup.
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- Create or select the event. In YouTube Studio, open Live Control Room, choose Manage, then Schedule stream. Create the event or reuse settings as appropriate for your workflow.
- Configure the encoder. Use the server URL and stream key associated with the intended event. Check that your FFmpeg process is configured to send its output to that event’s ingest settings.
- Check the preview. Wait for the incoming stream preview in Live Control Room and verify that the expected media is arriving before taking the event live.
- Go live when appropriate. Scheduling an event makes it promotable and available for reminders; it does not start a particular FFmpeg list or choose the files being sent.
Keep the event and stream key paired correctly. If the schedule switches to a different broadcast event, make sure the encoder is sending to that event’s server URL and key rather than assuming that scheduling the event changes FFmpeg’s destination automatically.
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One continuous broadcast or separate events?
These are different ways to organize a schedule, not automatic playlist-switching features.
| Choice | What it means | What you must coordinate |
|---|---|---|
| One continuous broadcast with sequenced files | A single YouTube broadcast receives media whose sequence is managed by FFmpeg and whose playlist selection is handled by your external scheduler. | Playlist handoffs and the behavior of the FFmpeg process must be managed outside YouTube’s event scheduler. |
| Separate scheduled YouTube events | Each broadcast is represented as its own scheduled event. | Coordinate each event with the encoder’s destination and the playlist or process intended for it; scheduling the event does not select the media list. |
The YouTube Live Streaming API models broadcast events separately from incoming stream settings. Google documents recurring events that reuse stream settings, as well as a pattern that creates a distinct liveStream resource for each broadcast. Reusing settings can fit broadcasts that share encoder configuration; distinct stream resources can fit an automation organized around a separate stream resource for each broadcast. Choose the model that matches your event and encoder organization.
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