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Not clearly, based on Dacast’s published documentation. Dacast documents sending an encoder-based live channel to YouTube through Simulcast, and it separately offers browser-based Go Live without an encoder or installed software. But the available documentation does not establish that either route can continuously loop prerecorded video to YouTube unattended, or that VOD Rebroadcast can feed YouTube through Simulcast.
What Dacast documents
Dacast describes two different ways to start a broadcast. They differ in the source being sent and in what Dacast’s documentation confirms about YouTube distribution.
| Route | Source and setup | What is established |
|---|---|---|
| Simulcast | A live channel receives a feed from an encoder; YouTube is added as a destination. | Dacast documents Simulcast to YouTube for encoder-based live channels. The documentation does not establish unattended looping of prerecorded video. |
| Browser Go Live | Start a broadcast in a browser without installing encoder software; Dacast describes turning on a camera. | Dacast advertises a no-encoder browser broadcast, but its description does not confirm continuous unattended operation or a prerecorded-video loop. |
Dacast’s developer documentation distinguishes encoder ingest from VOD Rebroadcast and excludes VOD Rebroadcast from the documented Simulcast route. That establishes a limit in the described workflow, not proof that no other integration is possible. If your requirement is specifically a prerecorded playlist running to YouTube around the clock, ask Dacast support whether it supports that exact arrangement before choosing a plan.
How Dacast Simulcast sends a live feed to YouTube
For the documented encoder workflow, Dacast’s published setup is:
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- Create a Dacast live channel.
- Connect an encoder to that channel. Dacast lists OBS, Wirecast, vMix, and compatible RTMP encoders as options.
- In Dacast, open the channel’s Engagement tab and add YouTube as a destination.
- Start the broadcast from the encoder to send the live feed to the selected destinations.
Dacast says it distributes the incoming feed to the selected platforms, so Simulcast does not require extra broadcaster upload bandwidth for each destination. This is a distribution feature for an incoming live feed; it does not by itself show that a prerecorded VOD can be used as an unattended source.
What “without OBS” does—and does not—mean
Using another encoder
OBS is not the only encoder named in Dacast’s setup guidance: Wirecast and vMix are also listed, along with compatible RTMP encoders. Switching encoders may avoid OBS, but the documented Simulcast flow still uses an encoder connected to a Dacast live channel.
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Using browser Go Live
Dacast also advertises browser-based Go Live without encoder software, describing a camera-based broadcast. Its published description does not say this can run unattended for 24 hours a day, loop uploaded videos, or keep streaming if the browser session or active source ends. Do not treat “no encoder required” as confirmation of a 24/7 prerecorded-video workflow.
What to verify with Dacast before relying on it
Ask Dacast support to answer the precise operational question in writing: can a Dacast-hosted prerecorded video or playlist be sent continuously to a YouTube Live destination without an encoder running and without an active browser session? Also confirm whether the answer changes for VOD Rebroadcast, Simulcast, or a particular account plan. The documentation described here does not settle those points.
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