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Short answer: OBS Media Source is for playing a local video or audio file inside a scene; it is not the source that captures your gameplay or the encoder that sends your stream to YouTube. Set Media Source playback to suit the clip, then choose YouTube encoder settings based on your target resolution, frame rate and reliably available upload bandwidth. The official guidance cited here does not prescribe a special India-only preset.
What OBS Media Source does—and what it does not
A Media Source plays a local video or audio file in an OBS scene. Use it for a pre-recorded intro, intermission clip, background video, or other media you want to show during a gaming stream. OBS lists video formats including MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF and WebM, and audio formats including MP3, AAC, OGG and WAV. See the OBS Project’s Media Sources guide.
- Gameplay: add a Game Capture source to capture the game, or use an appropriate capture method for your setup.
- Pre-recorded clip: add a Media Source and select the local file.
- Sending the scene to YouTube: configure OBS output and connect it to the YouTube live stream using the stream key. Media Source playback settings do not set the stream’s bitrate or YouTube archive behavior.
If by “gaming VOD livestream” you mean streaming a prerecorded gaming video as a live broadcast, Media Source can play that file in the scene. If you mean broadcasting gameplay as it happens, Media Source alone will not capture the game.
Set up a Media Source for a gaming scene
- Add the source: in OBS, select the scene where the clip should appear, use the Sources panel’s + button, choose Media Source, and create or select a source.
- Choose the file: enable Local File and browse to the video or audio asset. Confirm the source fits the scene and that its audio is routed as intended in the OBS audio mixer.
- Choose playback behavior: set Loop, restart, end-of-playback and inactive-source controls as described below. These determine how the file behaves as the scene changes; they do not alter YouTube’s stream encoder.
- Preview before going live: switch between scenes and verify the clip begins, ends or repeats when expected. Check both picture and audio levels.
What each playback control changes
| Control | Documented default | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Loop | Off | Turn it on for a clip that should repeat after it finishes, such as a looping intermission background. Leave it off for a one-time intro. |
| Restart playback when source becomes active | On | When enabled, the file restarts as the source becomes visible in the current scene. This suits a clip intended to begin from the start whenever that scene is activated. If you do not want scene re-entry to restart it, turn this off and test the behavior in your scene flow. |
| Use hardware decoding when available | Off | Enables an available GPU hardware decoder for supported media formats. It is optional; if playback has problems, compare behavior with this setting off. |
| Show nothing when playback ends | On | Keep enabled if the clip should disappear at its end rather than hold its last frame. Consider disabling it only when you specifically want the ending frame to remain visible. |
| Close file when inactive | Off | Enable it to unload the file while the source is hidden or off-scene and free memory. The file may take time to reload when the source becomes visible again. |
For a one-time intro, Loop should be off; decide whether restarting on activation matches how you switch scenes. For a repeating intermission clip, turn Loop on. For an overlay that should vanish when its playback ends, leave Show nothing when playback ends enabled. These are choices based on the documented OBS control behavior, not a universal preset.
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Choose YouTube encoder settings from your connection, not your country
YouTube’s live encoder settings guidance says YouTube detects encoder settings and transcodes the stream into viewer output formats. For RTMP/RTMPS, it lists H.264, H.265/HEVC and AV1 video codecs, recommends constant bitrate (CBR), supports frame rates up to 60 fps, and recommends a 2-second keyframe interval (no more than 4 seconds). Match the profile to what your encoder and system can reliably produce.
H.264 bitrate examples from YouTube
| Output profile | YouTube-recommended H.264 video bitrate |
|---|---|
| 1080p at 60 fps | 17 Mbps |
| 1080p at 30 fps | 14 Mbps |
| 720p at 60 fps | 8 Mbps |
| 720p at 30 fps | 6 Mbps |
These are YouTube recommendations, not a guarantee that a particular Indian broadband or mobile connection can sustain the rate. YouTube gives additional bitrate ranges by codec and resolution on its encoder settings page; use the row for your chosen codec and output profile rather than treating the H.264 examples as universal.
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Bandwidth selection procedure
- Measure upload speed where and when you will stream. Prefer a stable result rather than a best-case peak. YouTube’s Streaming tips say, “The total bitrate you’re streaming cannot exceed the amount of upload bandwidth available.”
- Leave headroom. YouTube recommends leaving about 20% of available upload bandwidth unused. Also account for other people, devices, cloud backups or services using the same connection.
- Select resolution and frame rate that fit. A 1080p60 profile needs more upload capacity than a 720p30 profile in the examples above. If the connection cannot sustain the chosen bitrate with headroom, lower the target rather than running at the limit.
- Use the recommended encoder mode and keyframes. Set CBR and a 2-second keyframe interval, not exceeding 4 seconds, for the cited RTMP/RTMPS guidance. Follow YouTube’s codec-specific recommendations for the profile you actually select.
- Run an unlisted test. Check fast gameplay motion, voice/game audio balance, and stream health in YouTube Live Control Room before relying on the setup for a public session. YouTube also recommends test streams and monitoring health in its live streaming tips.
OBS’s Media Source controls do not determine the best bitrate. Nor does the audience’s location by itself: choose settings using the creator’s measured, reliable upload capacity and the actual stream profile. The official guidance cited here does not establish different Media Source defaults or a country-specific gaming bitrate for India.
Keep a complete VOD: archive limits and local recording
YouTube says live streams shorter than 12 hours can be automatically archived, but streams exceeding 12 hours may not be captured at all. YouTube recommends a local archive as a backup. See Archive live streams. If a complete VOD matters, start a local OBS recording and confirm the recording file is being written and growing before the session gets underway; preserve the local copy afterward.
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That 12-hour archive guidance is about YouTube’s archive, not OBS Media Source playback. A clip looping in a scene does not itself guarantee that YouTube will retain the full live session as a VOD.
DVR is a separate viewer feature
YouTube DVR lets viewers pause, rewind and resume a live stream. Viewers cannot seek to a point before the broadcast began, and rewind may be limited or unavailable for streams longer than 12 hours. DVR is configured separately in YouTube Live Control Room; OBS Media Source does not turn it on or off. See Turn on DVR on live streams and Manage live stream settings.
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Latency: balance chat response against buffering
Latency is the delay between capture and what viewers see. A lower-latency mode can make live chat interaction feel more immediate, but may increase playback buffering; a higher-latency choice can favor a more buffered viewing experience. Choose in YouTube’s live stream settings based on whether real-time interaction or playback stability matters more, then test on the connection and devices your audience is likely to use. This is a YouTube stream setting, not a Media Source option.
Troubleshoot common setup problems
- The clip does not appear: check that the source is in the active scene, its visibility is enabled, and Local File points to the intended media. Preview the scene before starting the broadcast.
- The clip plays only once: Loop is off by default. Enable Loop if the file should repeat.
- The intro starts over after changing scenes: Restart playback when source becomes active is on by default. Turn it off if restarting on re-entry is not desired, then test the scene sequence.
- The last frame remains onscreen: check Show nothing when playback ends. It is on by default and makes the source show nothing after the file ends.
- The source takes a moment to return after being hidden: Close file when inactive unloads media off-scene; disabling it avoids that unload/reload behavior, at the cost of keeping the file loaded.
- The stream buffers, drops frames or reports poor health: the selected total bitrate may be too close to or above stable upload capacity, or the connection may be shared. Re-test upload, preserve YouTube’s suggested headroom, reduce output bitrate or resolution, and check Live Control Room health.
- The VOD is missing or incomplete after a very long stream: YouTube warns that streams exceeding 12 hours may not be captured. For sessions where the full recording matters, make and verify a local OBS recording as well.
Or let it run in the cloud
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