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To stream recorded lessons from a folder as one continuous YouTube Live broadcast, list the files in the exact order you want in an FFmpeg concat manifest, then send that input to the YouTube ingest URL and stream key shown in your Live Control Room. FFmpeg does not automatically scan and alphabetize a folder for this workflow. This creates a live broadcast from prerecorded files—not separate YouTube uploads.
1. Decide what “alphabetical order” means for your filenames
FFmpeg’s concat demuxer plays files in the order listed in a manifest. It does not choose or sort the files for you, so inspect the intended sequence before building the manifest.
Choose a convention for numbered lessons. For example, ordinary alphabetical sorting can put Lesson 10.mp4 before Lesson 2.mp4; zero-padded names such as Lesson 02.mp4 and Lesson 10.mp4 make the intended order clearer. The manifest is the final authority: put every file in the sequence you want, regardless of how the folder itself is displayed.
2. Make an ordered FFmpeg manifest
Put the manifest outside the media folder. In this example, the media files and manifest are in the same working directory; use your actual filenames and check that your terminal is in the directory containing both the manifest and the listed lesson files.
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ffconcat version 1.0
file 'Lesson 01.mp4'
file 'Lesson 02.mp4'
file 'Lesson 03.mp4'Save it as lessons.ffconcat. For automatic format recognition, ffconcat version 1.0 must be the first line exactly. There should be one file directive per lesson. FFmpeg documents the concat demuxer’s manifest format and ordering in its concat demuxer documentation.
For a different folder layout, list paths relative to the manifest’s working directory or use full paths, taking care with quotes and special characters. Paths that contain spaces or other characters may need escaping or quoting. The concat demuxer rejects unsafe paths by default; do not add -safe 0 as a routine workaround. Review FFmpeg’s path and safety rules in the official documentation.
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3. Check that FFmpeg can concatenate the lesson files
The concat demuxer is for inputs whose streams, codecs, and time bases match. The same filename extension does not prove compatibility: two MP4 files can differ in video or audio codec, stream layout, frame rate, or time base. Inspect the files before relying on packet concatenation. If the inputs do not match, the demuxer may fail or produce an output that does not behave as intended.
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When files need conversion to a consistent format, prepare normalized copies before streaming or use FFmpeg’s concat filter, which is designed for cases requiring re-encoding. Re-encoding takes processing time and may change the encoded output; plan for a test rather than assuming a mixed folder will work unchanged. See FFmpeg’s FAQ on joining video files alongside the concat demuxer requirements.
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4. Set up the YouTube Live broadcast
- Open YouTube Studio and create or schedule a live stream. In Live Control Room, choose the stream setup that suits your broadcast. YouTube’s live streaming setup guidance covers encoder-based streaming.
- Copy the ingest URL and stream key shown for that stream. Use the exact values from your Live Control Room. YouTube recommends RTMPS; obtain the RTMPS endpoint there rather than assuming a displayed RTMP URL is the secure endpoint. RTMPS is RTMP carried over TLS/SSL, as described in YouTube’s RTMPS guidance.
- Keep the key private. Do not include it in screenshots, public repositories, or commands you plan to share. Treat it as a credential that lets an encoder send video to your channel.
Account eligibility and setup can vary; follow the prompts and status shown in your own Studio account. YouTube’s Help pages explain the setup flow but do not establish that every account has the same options.
5. Send the manifest to YouTube with FFmpeg
Use the concat demuxer as the input and your own RTMPS URL and stream key as the output destination. The following is a template, not a usable command until you replace the endpoint and key with the exact values from Live Control Room. It assumes the files match well enough for demuxer concatenation and that your FFmpeg build supports the selected output encoding.
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ffmpeg -re -f concat -safe 1 -i lessons.ffconcat
-c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 5M -maxrate 5M -bufsize 10M
-r 30 -g 60 -c:a aac -b:a 128k -f flv
'YOUR_RTMPS_URL/YOUR_STREAM_KEY'This example encodes H.264 video at 30 fps with a 60-frame GOP, AAC audio, and a 5 Mbps video rate. It is an illustrative starting point, not a universal setting or a claim that every input is 1080p. Set output resolution and frame rate deliberately for your lesson material, and choose a bitrate that fits both the target quality and your available upload capacity. YouTube’s encoder recommendations vary by resolution, frame rate, and codec.
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6. Match YouTube’s encoder settings and test first
YouTube’s current encoder guidance lists RTMP/RTMPS ingest; H.264, H.265 (HEVC), or AV1 video; up to 60 fps; AAC or MP3 audio; and constant bitrate (CBR). It recommends a two-second keyframe interval, no longer than four seconds, as well as square pixels, progressive scan, and SDR Rec. 709. These are YouTube recommendations; available codec choices also depend on your FFmpeg build and encoder configuration. See the full YouTube encoder settings and bitrates.
For one specific reference point, YouTube Help lists 5 Mbps as a recommended H.264 bitrate for 1080p at 30 fps and 8 Mbps for 720p at 60 fps. The page gives different values for other resolutions, frame rates, and codecs, so consult its table for your chosen output rather than treating either figure as a universal rate. YouTube also says, “We recommend running a speed test to test your upload bitrate.”
- Start with a short private or unlisted test stream, using representative lesson audio, slides, and any motion that appears in the full playlist.
- Check that the stream appears in the Live Control Room preview and inspect its stream health before relying on it.
- If the stream is scheduled, wait for the preview to appear, then select Go live in Live Control Room when you are ready to broadcast.
- After the test, run the complete manifest and monitor stream health rather than assuming a successful launch guarantees an uninterrupted broadcast.
YouTube recommends testing before going live and monitoring stream health. Its Live Control Room instructions also state that streams under 12 hours are automatically archived; do not rely on that statement to promise an archive for a longer broadcast. See YouTube’s live streaming setup guidance.
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7. Troubleshoot common failures
- Lessons play in an unexpected order: The manifest controls sequence. Reorder its
filelines and check numbered names such asLesson 2versusLesson 10; do not assume FFmpeg sorted the folder. - FFmpeg cannot open a manifest entry: Check the working directory and each relative path, filename spelling, spaces, quoting, and special characters. Prefer safe, correctly quoted paths over disabling path checks with
-safe 0. - The concat input reports stream or timestamp errors, or transitions fail: Compare the input streams, codecs, and time bases. Matching extensions are not enough. Normalize or re-encode incompatible files, or use the concat filter for inputs that require re-encoding.
- YouTube does not receive the stream: Confirm that you copied the correct ingest URL and stream key for the selected broadcast, chose the RTMPS endpoint if using RTMPS, and kept the key intact and private. Check the FFmpeg output for connection errors and Live Control Room for its status.
- The preview is unstable or stream health is poor: Check upload capacity against the selected bitrate, use YouTube’s recommended CBR and keyframe guidance, and test with the actual lesson material. Reduce output demands if the connection cannot sustain the chosen settings.
- Audio or video output is missing or unsuitable: Inspect the input’s stream layout and verify the selected encoders are available in your FFmpeg build. A folder can contain files with different audio/video arrangements even when names and extensions look alike.
- A scheduled stream has not started publicly: A working encoder preview is not necessarily the final start action. For a scheduled stream, wait for preview and click Go live in Live Control Room.
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