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YouTube Stream Key Settings for Latency and DVR in Live Control Room

Choose Normal, Low or Ultra-low latency in Live Control Room, configure DVR, and securely connect your encoder with YouTube’s stream URL and key.
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In YouTube Studio, open Create > Go live, select or create a stream, then use the Live Control Room’s Stream settings to choose latency and DVR. Choose Normal latency for a non-interactive broadcast, Low for limited interaction, or Ultra-low when you need near-real-time conversation; enable DVR when viewers should be able to pause and rewind. Copy the stream URL and key into your encoder, and keep the key secret.

Open the stream settings

  1. In YouTube Studio, select Create > Go live.

  2. Select an existing stream or create one. In Live Control Room, open Stream settings.

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  3. Set the stream latency and DVR options described below. Exact encoder controls vary by software; these are YouTube-side settings.

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YouTube defines latency as the delay between an encoder or camera capturing an event and its appearance for viewers. The right setting depends on how quickly viewers need to respond, your resolution, and the connection’s ability to sustain the stream.

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Choose a latency setting

Setting Best fit Trade-off and support
Normal Non-interactive broadcasts, including streams where viewers do not need to respond immediately. YouTube describes this as its highest-quality option for viewers, with the lowest viewer buffering. All resolutions and live features are supported.
Low Limited interaction, such as polls, without a need for immediate responses. YouTube says most viewers experience latency under 10 seconds. This is approximate platform guidance, not a guarantee. 4K is not supported.
Ultra-low Conversation with viewers in real time. YouTube says most viewers experience latency under five seconds. Buffering is more likely, and ingestion problems can affect viewers more. 4K is not supported. The latency figure is approximate platform guidance, not a guarantee.

Use this decision order: decide whether rapid interaction matters, check whether you need 4K, then choose the lowest-latency mode your connection can reliably sustain while accepting its buffering trade-off. At 2160p (4K), YouTube says the option to improve for low latency is unavailable; streams are optimized for quality at Normal latency.

Webcam and mobile streams are set up for interactivity automatically. You cannot manually set their latency.

Copy the stream URL and key into your encoder

  1. In Live Control Room, open Stream settings and find the Stream key section. Reveal and copy the key as needed.

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  2. Copy the Stream URL shown in Live Control Room. If using RTMPS, open the Stream tab and select the lock icon beside Stream URL to reveal the secure URL.

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  3. In your encoder, paste the key into its Stream Key field and the URL into its server or URL field. If the encoder offers a YouTube preset, select it and enter the key if requested.

  4. Start the encoder and check Live Control Room for the incoming feed and stream health before beginning the broadcast.

The key tells the encoder where to send the feed and allows YouTube to accept it. Treat it like a password: do not share or publish it. RTMPS is RTMP over TLS/SSL and encrypts the connection. If the key is exposed, reset it in the Stream key section and replace it in the encoder. Only channel owners or managers can reset keys.

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Enable or disable DVR

DVR lets viewers pause and rewind a live stream, then resume from where they paused. In the stream dashboard, open Stream settings and toggle Enable DVR under Additional settings. Enable it when viewers may join late or need to pause and catch up.

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  • DVR can be limited or unavailable for streams longer than 12 hours.

  • Viewers cannot seek back to a point before the stream began.

  • A DVR change made while live applies to viewers who start playing after the change.

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  • You cannot disable DVR for webcam and mobile streaming.

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Prepare and monitor the broadcast

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