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To add multiple pre-recorded videos to a Castr YouTube stream, create a Pre-Recorded Stream, build and order its playlist, choose whether to loop it or schedule a start time, then add YouTube as an active destination. Castr streams the files as a live broadcast; it is not the same as uploading ordinary on-demand videos to your YouTube channel.

Build a Castr playlist from multiple videos

  1. In the Castr dashboard, open Pre-Recorded Streams and create a new pre-recorded stream. Give the stream a name.
  2. In the Playlist section, add videos by uploading or importing files from cloud storage, or select videos already in your Castr Video Hosting library.
  3. Add the other videos you want in the broadcast. Drag entries to set their playback order. You can toggle an entry off without removing it from the playlist.
  4. Review the displayed total playlist duration; Castr updates it automatically as you assemble the playlist.

Castr’s help article, dated July 8, 2026, says pre-recorded uploads support MP4. File size and media-file count depend on the subscription, so check the limits shown for your account before preparing a long playlist or relying on a particular number of videos. Castr: How to Start Streaming Pre-recorded Videos

Choose looping or a scheduled start

Loop the playlist

Select Loop if you want Castr to repeat the playlist rather than stop after one pass. This is the playlist-level looping option for a pre-recorded stream.

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Schedule a specific start time

Select Date & Time and set the intended start. Castr’s scheduling instructions say the schedule uses the device’s time zone. Before saving, confirm that the time zone on the device you are using matches the time zone in which you mean the broadcast to start. Castr: Scheduling Modes in Castr Pre-recorded Live

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Connect YouTube and start the stream

Add YouTube as a destination and make sure its destination toggle is on. Castr documents two connection routes:

  • YouTube Events/API: connect through YouTube Events/API as described in Castr’s YouTube connection instructions.
  • Streaming server and key: configure YouTube as a destination with YouTube’s streaming server and stream key. Castr notes that with this method, you must edit the stream description in YouTube’s dashboard.

After selecting the connection method, verify that YouTube is enabled in the destination list. Start the stream when ready, or leave the configured schedule to start it. The YouTube Events/API and server-and-key instructions are documented in Castr’s May 19, 2023 help article; interface labels may have changed since it was published. Castr: How to Connect YouTube with Castr

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If you need to use a Castr livestream that already exists as the destination, Castr also documents an alternate Add Stream within Castr route. It is not required for the ordinary YouTube-destination setup. Castr: Pre-Recorded Streams Troubleshooting

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Prepare video files and settings

Castr’s recorded-video recommendations, published December 18, 2023, are vendor guidance rather than universal YouTube requirements or independent test results. For a file prepared to those recommendations, Castr lists:

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Setting Castr recommendation
Format MP4
Resolution 1920×1080
Frame rate 30 fps
Bitrate 4,000 Kbps, constant bitrate
Keyframe interval 2 seconds
Beginning and end Add 10–20 seconds of additional video at each end

Use these as a starting point when preparing files, not as proof that every source video or YouTube configuration must use the same values. Castr’s guidance is here: Recommended Settings for Recorded Videos.

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When this workflow is—and is not—the right one

A Castr Pre-Recorded Stream is suited to broadcasting a playlist of uploaded files as a live stream, either by looping it or starting it at a selected time. Castr describes the service as cloud playout that does not require an encoder. Its current product page lists plan-dependent differences, so check the current plan details for playlist capacity, storage, maximum video duration, and looping availability rather than assuming a fixed limit. Castr: Live Stream Pre-Recorded Video (Simulive)

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For a continuously programmed channel with a timetable that can combine VOD, livestreams, and breaks, Castr documents a separate feature called TV Playout. That is distinct from setting up one looping or scheduled pre-recorded playlist. Castr: Introducing TV Playout

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Troubleshoot common setup problems

  • You cannot add another video: Check the media-file count and file-size allowance for your subscription. The help instructions say these limits vary by plan.
  • A video will not upload: Confirm that it is an MP4, the format supported in Castr’s current pre-recorded-stream help instructions, and that it fits the account’s size allowance.
  • The playlist plays in the wrong order: Return to the Playlist section and drag the entries into the intended sequence. Check that each video you want included is toggled on.
  • The broadcast does not start at the expected local time: Check the device time zone used when scheduling, then verify the selected Date & Time.
  • YouTube is not receiving the stream: Confirm YouTube was added as a destination and its toggle is enabled. If using the server-and-key route, check the destination’s YouTube server and key details.
  • The description is not managed where you expected: For a stream-key-connected destination, Castr says the stream description must be edited in YouTube’s dashboard.

Or let it run in the cloud

If your goal is a YouTube channel that keeps playing uploaded videos without a computer running at home, StreamNeo is a separate cloud option: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It loops uploaded videos from the cloud; it does not stream from a camera.

  • Nothing has to stay on at home; the stream runs in the cloud.
  • Videos stream as uploaded, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot with no re-encoding or quality tiers.
  • Automatic recovery is included if YouTube drops the stream.
  • The first day is free with no card, one free day per account.

The monthly option is $9.99 per month. See StreamNeo for details, or start your free day.

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