An AWS Elemental MediaLive schedule switches the input feeding a running MediaLive channel; it does not select YouTube video objects or control a YouTube playlist. To change the video sent toward YouTube, attach each source to the channel, add input-switch actions to its schedule, configure the RTMP output separately, and verify the result in your own workflow.
What a MediaLive schedule switches
A schedule belongs to a MediaLive channel and contains actions that MediaLive passes to that running channel. An input-switch action changes which attached input the channel ingests. The videos therefore need to exist as inputs available to the channel; a schedule is not a YouTube-side playlist editor.
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AWS’s MediaLive User Guide puts the key point plainly: “There is no implicit switching.” Attaching multiple inputs does not make the channel cycle through them automatically. You must create explicit schedule actions for the transitions you want.
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Set up the channel and schedule
- Identify the channel and source inputs. Create or identify the MediaLive channel, then attach each video source it will need. An input-switch action refers to the input attachment name, so the target input must already be attached to the channel.
- Plan the source order and trigger for every transition. Decide whether each change should occur at a specified UTC time, as soon as an action is issued, or when a referenced file input ends. AWS recommends managing ingest through the schedule and making the first scheduled switch an immediate switch to the intended initial input.
- Add input-switch actions. In the channel schedule, create an action for each desired change. Give each action a unique name, choose its start settings, and set its input-switch settings to the target input attachment. In the API schedule request, the start mode is represented by one of fixed, immediate, or follow.
- Configure the output independently. An RTMP destination needs settings supplied by the downstream system operator: protocol, address, port, application name, stream name or key, and credentials if required. A schedule action does not configure YouTube ingest.
- Start the channel and verify the workflow. Check the channel output and the transitions in your actual target workflow. AWS’s generic RTMP documentation does not establish what YouTube will accept for a particular account or exactly what viewers will see during a source change.
Choose the right switch timing mode
| Mode | Trigger | Best suited to | Important behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed | A specified UTC wall-clock time | A transition planned for a particular time | The time is UTC, not source timecode. AWS documentation describes a fixed action as needing to be created at least 15 seconds and no more than 14 days before its start, with the schedule passing it to the channel approximately 15 seconds before the start. A console field description surfaced in the documentation has a 30-second minimum for its context. These lead times are not universal across methods; check the current guidance for the API or console method you use. |
| Immediate | The action is issued to the running channel | An operator or automation should request a prompt change | MediaLive passes the action immediately. For a standard two-pipeline channel, MediaLive internally schedules the switch 10 seconds ahead to align the pipelines. |
| Follow | The referenced file input ends | Starting the next file after a preceding file input finishes | The action references a prior input-switch action. The referenced input must be a file, and its source end behavior must be set to Continue for the documented workflow. |
Choose fixed when the schedule needs wall-clock timing, immediate when the change should be requested promptly, and follow when the next file should begin after a particular file input ends. Follow is the only mode here tied to the end of a referenced file; it is not a general instruction to follow any input.
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Clip file inputs and account for restarts
Set clip boundaries
A file input can be clipped with timecodes. Zero-based timecode counts from the start of the file. Embedded timecode uses timecode carried in the source, so it only works when the file contains it; AWS notes that clipping instructions are ignored otherwise. If a schedule relies on a clip ending to trigger a follow action, confirm that the source and clip boundaries are configured as intended.
Expect playback to restart when returning to a file
If the channel switches away from a static file input and later switches back, MediaLive ingests from the beginning of the file or the beginning of its clip. Do not assume it resumes at the position where it stopped.
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Plan for channel restarts
A restart can change the playback position expected from a schedule. If the schedule indicates that a fixed or immediate file input should currently be active, MediaLive starts the file or clip from its beginning; it does not seek forward by the time elapsed since the scheduled start. A schedule that must match an exact program timeline therefore needs restart behavior considered in its operating plan.
Keep the MediaLive schedule separate from YouTube output
MediaLive’s schedule controls source selection inside the channel. RTMP destination settings configure where the channel sends its output. The AWS description of an RTMP output group refers to one video encode and one audio encode, but that generic description is not proof that every configuration is suitable for YouTube, nor does it establish YouTube’s current setup procedure or the viewer-visible behavior of an upstream switch.
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Use current AWS and YouTube instructions for the exact channel and account configuration you operate. Do not infer that a scheduled input switch guarantees uninterrupted playback, a particular transition, or acceptance by YouTube.
Common scheduling problems and what to check
- The channel stays on its current source. Multiple attached inputs do not switch automatically. Confirm that the channel schedule contains an input-switch action, that its target attachment name is correct, and that the action’s start mode and time are appropriate.
- An action cannot target an input. The input must already be attached to the channel. Check the attachment name used by the action against the channel’s actual input attachments.
- A follow action does not advance as expected. Confirm that it references a prior input-switch action, that the referenced source is a file input, and that the source end behavior is Continue.
- A clip is not trimmed as expected. Check whether its boundaries use zero-based timecode or embedded source timecode. Embedded timecode requires timecode in the file; otherwise AWS says the clipping instructions are ignored.
- A file starts over after a switch or restart. This is expected for the documented cases: switching back to a static file input starts at the file or clip beginning, and a restart with a fixed or immediate file input currently due also starts it at the beginning rather than seeking forward.
- The output does not reach YouTube as expected. Check the separately configured destination details—protocol, address, port, application name, stream name or key, and any required credentials—and verify the current requirements for your YouTube account. A schedule action alone does not configure the destination.
- A fixed action cannot be scheduled at the desired lead time. AWS guidance varies by context: the documentation describes a 15-second minimum and 14-day maximum, while a console field description gives a 30-second minimum. Check the current guidance for the specific API or console method rather than treating either minimum as universal.
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