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This guide covers the OBS-to-YouTube workflow for looping a prerecorded video on a Windows PC. The exact OBS control labels can vary by version, so verify them in your installed OBS rather than relying on unconfirmed button names.
Check upload bandwidth and PC capability first
A 4K60 live stream sends a large, continuous data stream from your PC to YouTube. YouTube’s total outgoing stream bitrate cannot exceed the upload bandwidth available to the computer. Its streaming tips recommend leaving about 20% headroom; shared household or workplace network use can reduce what is available to OBS. A download-speed result does not establish upload capacity. YouTube’s streaming tips explain the bandwidth guidance.
As a planning illustration, a 50 Mbps video stream needs more than 50 Mbps of stable usable upload when you apply YouTube’s headroom recommendation. Audio and any other outgoing stream add to the total. This is arithmetic based on YouTube’s guidance, not an India-specific ISP threshold or a promise that a speed test predicts long-term stability.
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- Check the upload rate and stability on the same connection and, if possible, the same PC you will use for the stream.
- Test when other people and devices are using the network as they normally will; available capacity can change with shared use.
- If practical, connect the PC to the router over Ethernet. A cable may remove a weak Wi-Fi link from the equation, but it does not create bandwidth or fix an unstable ISP connection.
- Confirm that the PC’s hardware encoder exposes a suitable 4K60 option for the codec you plan to use. OBS options depend on the installed OBS version and hardware.
Choose a codec and bitrate
YouTube Help’s English live-encoder table, accessed in 2026 (page publication year not shown), gives the following 4K/2160p 60 fps values. YouTube’s localized tables may differ: a surfaced Indonesia-language page showed a different table. That is a locale inconsistency, not evidence about Indian internet conditions. Check the current accepted settings in Live Control Room and use a rate your connection can sustain.
| Codec | YouTube table minimum | YouTube table recommended | Practical consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| H.264 | 14 Mbps | 50 Mbps | A familiar ingest path; the recommended 4K60 rate requires substantial stable upload capacity. |
| AV1 or H.265/HEVC | 10 Mbps | 35 Mbps | The encoder must support the selected codec, and Live Control Room must accept it for your setup. |
These figures come from YouTube Help’s encoder settings table, accessed in 2026; the page does not show a publication year. Do not choose AV1 or HEVC solely because the listed recommendation is lower: verify hardware encoder availability and YouTube’s current accepted options first. If your connection cannot reliably carry the selected rate plus headroom, reduce the stream bitrate or resolution rather than treating the recommended value as a speed-test target you can safely run at the limit.
Use YouTube-compatible encoder settings
YouTube’s published live-encoder guidance specifies RTMP or RTMPS ingest, H.264, H.265/HEVC or AV1 video where supported, constant bitrate (CBR), and a recommended two-second keyframe interval that must not exceed four seconds. It supports frame rates up to 60 fps. YouTube recommends RTMPS because it encrypts the transfer. See the current YouTube encoder settings page and check Live Control Room for options available to your stream.
- Video size and frame rate: set the output for 3840 × 2160 at 60 fps only if the source, PC encoder and connection can sustain it.
- Rate control: CBR, with a bitrate selected from YouTube’s current accepted settings and your measured stable upload capacity.
- Keyframes: two-second interval recommended; do not exceed four seconds.
- SDR color: YouTube’s standard SDR guidance is Rec. 709 and 8-bit, with square pixels and progressive scan.
- Audio over RTMP/RTMPS: AAC or MP3. YouTube’s advanced recommendations include 44.1 kHz for stereo and 128 kbps stereo audio.
These are platform-side values, not a recommendation for a particular OBS preset. Hardware encoder names, presets and available controls differ among computers.
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Decide whether the stream should be SDR or HDR
The title’s 4K60 target does not require HDR. SDR is the simpler default described by YouTube’s Rec. 709, 8-bit guidance. Use an HDR workflow only if the prerecorded source is HDR and the computer’s encoding path supports it.
YouTube’s OBS HDR instructions require OBS 30.1 or later, an HDR source, a hardware HEVC encoder, Main 10, P010, and Rec. 2100 PQ or HLG. Confirm the current YouTube HDR setup guidance and the options present in your OBS build before configuring HDR. Do not label an SDR source as HDR to try to obtain HDR playback.
Prepare the YouTube live stream and protect the key
- Open YouTube Live Control Room and create or prepare the live stream using the scheduling or streaming workflow appropriate to your channel.
- Copy the stream URL and stream key from the encoder settings YouTube provides. YouTube allows a custom stream key to be reused, but treat any key as a password: do not publish it, share it casually or show it in screenshots.
- Use RTMPS if available and enter the destination and key in OBS’s streaming configuration. The exact OBS menu labels can vary by version; use the current OBS interface and help material for your installation rather than assuming a fixed Windows click path.
- Return to Live Control Room and wait for the encoder preview or connection status before starting a public event. YouTube describes latency as a trade-off between delay and possible buffering. At 4K/2160, its low-latency improvement option is unavailable; the stream is set to normal latency.
Never paste a real stream key into a public guide, support post or screenshot. If one is exposed, replace it in YouTube’s stream settings before using it again. See YouTube’s stream settings guidance.
Set up the prerecorded video as a continuous OBS source
The intended workflow is to add the video file as a media source in OBS, enable the source’s repeat/loop behavior, confirm its audio is routed as intended, and set the OBS canvas and output to the intended 4K frame size and 60 fps. Then configure the encoder and connect OBS to YouTube using the stream destination and key from Live Control Room.
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OBS interface labels and the location of the media-source repeat control can change. Verify the current Windows instructions in OBS’s knowledge base and check the controls in your installed version. The video container and file itself can affect playback behavior; do not assume that every file will loop cleanly. For a continuous stream, test the actual file and audio rather than relying on the source setting alone.
Rehearse and verify the loop before going public
Run an unlisted or private rehearsal that lasts long enough to pass at least one full video-loop boundary. YouTube recommends testing with audio and motion similar to the planned stream and reviewing stream-health messages, the Live Control Room preview, and the actual viewer playback. Its live streaming tips also advise preparing the encoder ahead of time, starting it before the scheduled event, monitoring audio and video, and checking that the event is viewable on the channel or watch page and on mobile devices.
- Confirm that the intended 4K resolution and 60 fps are reaching YouTube, not just selected in OBS.
- Watch the transition from the end of the file back to its beginning for a pause, black frame, audio gap or unexpected source stop.
- Check OBS and YouTube stream-health messages for dropped frames or connection warnings, and watch the viewer-facing stream for audio/video problems.
- Verify the event from a separate device or browser so you are checking playback rather than only the encoder preview.
A successful rehearsal helps catch configuration problems but does not guarantee that a long-running stream will stay live indefinitely. YouTube can drop a connection, and network or PC conditions can change after the test.
Common 4K60 OBS streaming problems
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check or change |
|---|---|---|
| YouTube reports an unstable or inadequate connection | The total outgoing bitrate exceeds stable upload capacity, or shared use and connection variation reduce available bandwidth. | Measure upload performance under realistic use, reduce bitrate or resolution, and leave the recommended headroom instead of streaming at the connection’s limit. |
| OBS cannot offer the codec or frame rate you expected | The installed hardware encoder, driver or OBS build does not expose that combination. | Check the encoder options actually available on the PC; choose a supported codec and confirm it is accepted in Live Control Room. |
| The stream connects but looks softer or runs below 4K60 | The source, OBS output, encoder capability or YouTube ingest configuration may not match the target. | Check the source properties and output settings, then confirm the resolution and frame rate in YouTube’s preview and viewer playback. |
| The video or audio breaks at the loop boundary | The source file or media-source behavior may not transition cleanly. | Rehearse across a complete loop with the actual file; inspect the transition and audio routing, and try a compatible re-export if necessary. |
| The stream key fails or the encoder will not connect | The destination or key may be wrong, outdated or pasted with extra characters. | Copy the current URL and key from Live Control Room, verify OBS’s configured destination, and keep the key private. |
| Playback buffers despite a connected encoder | Viewer delivery and latency settings differ from the encoder connection; 4K streams use normal latency rather than YouTube’s low-latency improvement option. | Check stream health and playback from another device or network, and account for normal latency when evaluating delay. |
Check rights and YouTube policy before looping content
A video file you can play locally is not automatically cleared for a public live stream. Before looping it, confirm that you have the necessary rights to the video, music and other included material, and review YouTube’s live-streaming guidance and applicable channel policies. Repeating a recording does not by itself establish that the material is authorized or satisfies YouTube’s rules for reused content. Do not assume that a stream key or successful technical test is a copyright or monetization approval.
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