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gaming VOD

How to Schedule Gaming VOD Reruns as YouTube Live Streams

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To schedule a gaming VOD rerun, create a scheduled event in YouTube Studio, then use OBS Studio to play the recording into that event. Scheduling creates the upcoming broadcast and its watch page; OBS controls playback and whether the video loops. A loop alone does not schedule or publish a YouTube stream.

1. Schedule the YouTube live event

  1. Open YouTube Studio. Select Create → Go Live → Manage, then schedule a stream. YouTube says a scheduled stream can give viewers a reminder and lets you share its watch-page URL. See YouTube’s live-stream setup instructions.
  2. Set the event details. Add the title, description, visibility, and other event details that suit the rerun. If you reuse a previous event’s settings, review the copied metadata and settings rather than assuming they are still right.
  3. Choose how the event starts. A manual start lets you inspect the incoming preview before starting the public event. YouTube also documents auto-start and auto-stop settings, but available controls can vary by the current Live Control Room and encoder version. Confirm the settings on your event before relying on unattended operation.
  4. Keep the watch-page URL. Share it with viewers who should be able to find the scheduled event or set a reminder.

2. Prepare the gaming VOD in OBS

Loop one recording

  1. In OBS Studio, create or select a scene for the rerun.
  2. In the Sources panel, add a Media Source and select the local VOD file.
  3. Enable Loop if you want the recording to restart automatically when it reaches the end. OBS supports common local video formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM. See OBS’s Media Sources guide.
  4. Check that the source is visible in the scene and that its audio is routed and audible in the OBS mixer.

Play a playlist

For a sequence of recordings, add OBS’s VLC Video source, select the files, and enable Loop Playlist. VLC must be installed for this source. A single Media Source is the simpler choice for repeating one VOD; use VLC Video when you need a playlist.

3. Connect OBS to the scheduled event

  1. In YouTube Live Control Room, open the scheduled event and locate its stream settings.
  2. In OBS, open Settings → Stream. Choose the supported YouTube service integration if it is available in your installed version, or enter the event’s stream URL and stream key using the encoder’s custom-server option.
  3. Use the credentials for the scheduled event you intend to broadcast. YouTube describes stream keys as “like your YouTube stream’s password and address.” Keep the key private; reset it if you think it has been exposed. See YouTube’s stream settings guidance.
  4. Use RTMPS when the encoder supports it; YouTube recommends this secure ingest option.

4. Set quality and test before viewers arrive

Choose encoder settings that your upload connection can sustain reliably. YouTube’s published encoder recommendations include a 2-second keyframe frequency, no more than 4 seconds between keyframes, and up to 60 fps. These are configuration recommendations, not performance guarantees. For current bitrate, resolution, and codec guidance, check YouTube’s encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.

  1. Start the OBS feed early enough to let it reach Live Control Room.
  2. Inspect the preview: confirm the correct VOD is playing, the picture fits the frame, and both video and audio are present.
  3. Check that the event can be reached from the channel or scheduled watch page, and monitor stream health in Live Control Room.
  4. Make a private or otherwise low-risk test event first if you have not used this setup before. YouTube specifically advises testing before starting a live stream.

5. Start and end the rerun

At the scheduled time, if the event is set for manual start, use Go Live in Live Control Room after checking the preview. When the rerun is finished, end the broadcast in YouTube and stop the OBS feed as appropriate; YouTube’s encoder workflow describes stopping the feed and ending the event. If the source is set to loop, it will keep restarting until you stop it or end the stream.

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Rights and policy checks for gaming footage

Scheduling and encoding do not grant rights to the content in a VOD. Before publishing, check that you have the necessary rights for the gameplay recording and any music, trailers, or other third-party audio and video it contains. YouTube’s guidance flags rights settings and notes that rights matter for trailers, but it cannot determine whether a particular game VOD or soundtrack is permitted. Do not assume that owning or recording gameplay automatically clears every publisher, music, or platform requirement.

Troubleshooting

What you see Likely cause What to check or do
The scheduled event exists, but no video is playing. The event schedules the broadcast; it does not control OBS playback. Start the encoder feed, check that the Media Source points to the right local file, and confirm the source is enabled in the active scene.
The VOD stops at the end. Loop is off for a single-file source. Enable Loop in the Media Source properties. For a playlist, use VLC Video and enable Loop Playlist.
The playlist source is unavailable. OBS’s VLC Video source requires VLC. Install VLC, then check the source again; use a Media Source if you only need one file.
YouTube does not receive the feed. The stream URL or key may not match the scheduled event, or encoder settings may not be supported. Reopen the event’s stream settings, confirm the URL and key in OBS, and check the Live Control Room status. Reset the key if it may have been compromised.
The preview has no sound or the wrong picture. The wrong scene or media source is active, or audio is not reaching the stream mix. Check the active OBS scene, source visibility, Media Source playback, and audio levels in the mixer before going live.
The stream appears unstable. The chosen output may exceed what the upload connection can sustain. Test in advance, choose a reliable quality for the available upload capacity, and monitor YouTube’s stream-health indicators.
The event does not start automatically. Auto-start availability or configuration can differ between the current YouTube and encoder interfaces. Check the scheduled event’s start settings and be ready to use Live Control Room’s Go Live control manually.
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