Quick wins for a faster PC:
Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →To repeat a local playlist indefinitely, put FFmpeg’s input option -stream_loop -1 before the playlist’s -i argument. Add -re before that input to read local files at normal speed for a live broadcast. Looping the input does not keep FFmpeg, your network, or a YouTube event alive if one of them stops.
Use this FFmpeg command pattern
This is an illustrative starting point, not a tested command or universal encoding recipe. Replace the ingest URL and stream key with the values for your YouTube event, and choose encoding settings for your video and YouTube’s current recommendations.
ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -f concat -safe 0 -i playlist.txt
-c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 5M -maxrate 5M -bufsize 10M
-g 60 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -f flv 'rtmps://YOUR_YOUTUBE_INGEST_URL/YOUR_STREAM_KEY'The key options are -re and -stream_loop -1. The first paces local-file reading at native speed; the second loops the input without an end. FFmpeg options apply to the next input, so both belong before -i playlist.txt. See the FFmpeg documentation for -stream_loop and -re.
Build a concat playlist
Create the playlist text file
Make a text file named playlist.txt with one file entry per media file. Use paths the FFmpeg process can read; absolute paths help avoid working-directory surprises.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems#1 Best Overall
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file '/absolute/path/clip-01.mp4'
file '/absolute/path/clip-02.mp4'
file '/absolute/path/clip-03.mp4'Use -safe 0 carefully
The example uses -safe 0 to allow paths that the concat demuxer would otherwise reject as unsafe. Use it only with a playlist and entries you trust. If you can use permitted safe paths instead, omit the option and test the playlist.
Check that the files are compatible
The concat demuxer expects matching streams. Different codecs, stream layouts, time bases, resolutions, aspect ratios, or audio tracks can cause errors or disrupt transitions. Inspect the playlist files and normalize them to consistent properties when necessary; adding loop flags does not make incompatible files match. FFmpeg’s concat demuxer documentation explains the format requirements.
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Connect FFmpeg to YouTube Live
- Create or select a YouTube stream. In YouTube Live Control Room, choose the event and locate its stream URL and stream key. Follow YouTube’s encoder setup instructions.
- Set the output for your media. The sample uses RTMPS, H.264 video and AAC audio. YouTube’s current encoder guidance also lists H.265 and AV1 video and AAC or MP3 audio. Match codec, resolution, frame rate, bitrate and audio settings to the current YouTube live encoder settings.
- Set bitrate and keyframes deliberately. YouTube’s settings page, accessed in 2026, gives bitrate recommendations by codec, resolution and frame rate. For H.264 at 1080p/30 fps, it lists 5 Mbps minimum and 14 Mbps recommended. These are ingest recommendations, not guarantees. YouTube recommends a 2-second keyframe interval and says not to exceed 4 seconds. In the sample,
-g 60corresponds to 2 seconds only at 30 fps; choose a GOP length appropriate to your actual frame rate. - Protect the stream key. Treat it like a password. Anyone with access to it may be able to send video to the event. If you reset it, update the FFmpeg output configuration as well.
- Start FFmpeg and verify the event. Check YouTube’s preview and stream health, and listen and watch for continuity using representative audio and motion before relying on the broadcast.
Know what “indefinitely” means
-stream_loop -1 makes FFmpeg repeat its input; it does not restart a crashed process or reconnect a broken network. It also does not override YouTube event controls or platform limits. YouTube says streams shorter than 12 hours are automatically archived, so an indefinitely repeating input does not mean one unlimited YouTube archive.
Use -re for local files that must be sent at real-time pace. It is not the loop control. FFmpeg cautions against using it with actual capture devices or live inputs, where rate limiting can cause packet loss.
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Troubleshoot common failures
- FFmpeg exits after one playlist pass: Put
-stream_loop -1before the playlist’s-i. It is an input option and must apply to the input being looped. - The playlist races through too quickly: For local files, put
-rebefore the input as shown. It paces playback; it does not make the playlist repeat. - It fails or breaks at a file boundary: Check that the files have matching streams, codecs and time bases. Normalize files with differing properties before concatenating them.
- YouTube reports an ingest or format problem: Compare the output protocol, codec, audio format, bitrate, frame rate and keyframe interval with YouTube’s current encoder guidance. Recheck its settings table when requirements change.
- The broadcast stops even though the input loops: Check whether FFmpeg exited, the network disconnected, or the YouTube event ended or changed state. The input loop controls none of those. YouTube’s automatic archiving rule for streams under 12 hours is separate from FFmpeg’s loop behavior.
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