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You can relay a radio station to YouTube from a Synology NAS only if you can run an encoder on the NAS that accepts the station’s stream format and sends a compatible live signal to YouTube. Synology’s documented Surveillance Station broadcast feature is for camera video; it does not establish a built-in internet-radio-to-YouTube workflow. The practical route is to confirm rebroadcast rights, configure an encoder with YouTube’s server URL and stream key, then verify the incoming preview in YouTube Studio.
Before you set it up: confirm the stream and the rights
First obtain the radio station’s stream URL and determine its format. Your encoder must be able to ingest that actual source; a URL that opens in a browser or player is not automatically compatible with every encoder. The station, format, and licensing terms are not specified here, so check with the station or rights holder that you are permitted to rebroadcast its audio on YouTube.
- Confirm that the encoder you plan to use supports the station’s stream format and URL type.
- Confirm that your permission covers a live YouTube simulcast, the relevant territory, and any music in the broadcast.
- Decide whether the encoder needs a still image or other visual alongside the audio. YouTube’s cited settings specify video and audio formats, but do not prescribe a particular visual for radio.
Do not assume that owning or operating the NAS grants rights to the station’s content. YouTube’s livestream terms place responsibility on the content provider to have the rights needed for worldwide exploitation on Google services, including music rights, and to maintain any required licenses, consents, registrations, notifications, or approvals for the territory: YouTube livestream terms.
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Can Synology send a radio stream directly to YouTube?
Synology documents a Surveillance Station Live Broadcast feature that sends a selected camera stream to YouTube using a YouTube RTMP path and key. That documentation is for Surveillance Station version 8, describes camera video, and says it supports H.264 video. It does not verify an internet-radio audio URL workflow or prove that the feature can broadcast audio-only: Synology Live Broadcast documentation.
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A software encoder running on a compatible NAS may be a possible implementation, but exact packages, Container Manager settings, commands, and recovery behavior depend on the NAS model, DSM version, and source format. Those details are not established here, so do not copy a generic command and assume it is suitable for your Synology. Identify those details and verify the candidate encoder’s capabilities before installing or configuring it.
Set up the YouTube live stream
- Create the broadcast in YouTube Studio. Open Live Control Room and create or schedule a stream. Copy the server URL and stream key shown for that stream into the encoder. YouTube describes the stream key as a credential that lets an encoder send content to your channel; keep it private and do not include it in screenshots, public posts, or shared configuration files. See YouTube’s encoder setup instructions.
- Choose the secure ingest endpoint when supported. Prefer the RTMPS URL shown in Live Control Room if your chosen encoder supports RTMPS. YouTube describes RTMPS as RTMP over TLS/SSL; use the exact server URL and key supplied for your broadcast rather than guessing an endpoint. See YouTube’s RTMPS guidance.
- Match the encoder’s output to YouTube’s published settings. YouTube lists RTMP/RTMPS ingest, H.264 video, AAC or MP3 audio, constant bitrate (CBR), a recommended two-second keyframe interval, and 44.1 kHz for stereo audio. Configure the encoder to use settings compatible with the incoming radio source and any visual you choose. Refer to YouTube’s encoder settings for the current requirements and recommendations.
- Start the encoder and inspect the preview. Confirm that YouTube receives the intended audio and any video or still visual in Live Control Room. Check the stream status and incoming preview before starting or promoting the broadcast. If the preview is missing or incorrect, stop and troubleshoot the encoder and source before treating the stream as ready.
- End the transmission deliberately. YouTube says stopping the encoder ends transmission. Streams shorter than 12 hours are automatically archived, according to its encoder setup guidance; do not interpret that as a guarantee of an archive for a longer stream.
Choose an encoder route without assuming compatibility
Because no particular NAS model, DSM edition, radio format, or encoder has been identified, there is no verified Synology-specific command to provide. Evaluate a candidate implementation against the actual job rather than choosing by name alone:
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- NAS compatibility: Can it run on your NAS model and DSM version, and can you maintain it there?
- Source ingest: Can it read the station’s actual stream URL, protocol, and audio format?
- Output: Can it produce the audio format YouTube accepts and, if the workflow requires it, a compatible visual and video output?
- Secure delivery: Does it support the RTMPS endpoint provided by YouTube, or only RTMP?
- Failure handling: What happens if the station source, NAS connection, or YouTube ingest drops, and can the setup recover without manual intervention?
- Maintenance: Are you prepared to monitor, update, and troubleshoot an encoder that runs continuously on your own NAS?
These are checks to apply to a candidate, not verified features of any particular Synology package or encoder. If you need model-specific installation steps, the essential details are your NAS model, DSM version, station stream URL type and audio format, and the encoder you intend to run.
Troubleshoot the common failure points
- YouTube receives no signal: Check that the encoder is running, the stream key and server URL exactly match the current Live Control Room stream, and the NAS can reach the network endpoint. If using RTMPS, confirm the encoder supports it.
- The encoder cannot open the station stream: Verify the source URL and format with the station, then confirm that the encoder supports that protocol and audio codec. A playable URL is not proof of encoder compatibility.
- Preview appears but audio is missing or unusable: Check that the encoder is actually mapping the source audio into its output and that the output uses a YouTube-listed audio format, AAC or MP3. For stereo, YouTube lists 44.1 kHz.
- Video or preview is rejected or absent: Review the encoder’s video output and visual source against YouTube’s settings, including H.264 where applicable. The cited Synology camera-broadcast documentation does not establish a radio visual workflow.
- The stream stops after a source or network interruption: Determine whether the encoder reconnects to both the station source and YouTube ingest. Continuous recovery is implementation-specific and is not established for Synology’s documented camera feature.
- Third-party content interrupts the stream: YouTube scans live streams for third-party content. A match may replace the stream with a placeholder, and continued use may interrupt or terminate it. Even if you have a license, YouTube says the rights holder may need to add your channel to its Content ID allowlist. Review YouTube’s live-stream copyright guidance and resolve rights or allowlisting issues with the rights holder.
Or let it run in the cloud
If you do not want to maintain an encoder on your NAS, StreamNeo is a YouTube-only cloud service for keeping a channel live from uploaded videos. Upload the recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It loops the uploaded video in the cloud, so nothing has to stay on at home; it does not relay a live radio URL or broadcast from a camera.
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