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An AWS Elemental MediaLive schedule switches the input feeding a running MediaLive channel; it does not select videos inside YouTube or control a YouTube playlist. To change the video sent toward a YouTube live stream, attach each source to the channel, create an input-switch action for each change, choose when each action runs, and configure the channel’s RTMP output separately.
What a MediaLive schedule switches
A schedule belongs to a MediaLive channel. Its actions tell the running channel when to change the input it ingests. Each video therefore needs to be represented by an input available to that channel, and the switch action refers to that input’s attachment name.
Attaching multiple inputs does not make MediaLive switch among them automatically. As the AWS Elemental MediaLive User Guide puts it, “There is no implicit switching” in its section “Multiple-input channels and the schedule.” The schedule changes the channel’s source; it does not directly switch YouTube video objects or manage a YouTube playlist.
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Prepare the channel and its inputs
- Identify the channel. Use the MediaLive channel that will produce the stream. Confirm that it is configured for the workflow you intend to run.
- Attach each source input. Create or identify an input for every video source the channel needs to switch to, and attach those inputs to the channel. An input-switch action must reference an input attachment that already exists on that channel.
- Plan the source order. Write down the intended sequence and the trigger for each transition. Choose fixed timing for a planned UTC wall-clock change, immediate timing for a change initiated by an operator or automation, or follow timing when a subsequent file should start after a referenced file input ends.
- Plan the initial input. AWS recommends controlling ingest through the schedule and making the first scheduled switch an immediate switch to the intended initial input.
Choose a switch timing mode
| Mode | Trigger | Best suited to | Important behavior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed | A specified UTC wall-clock time | A transition planned for a particular time | The schedule uses UTC, not source timecode. AWS documentation describes fixed actions as created at least 15 seconds and no more than 14 days before their start, with the schedule passing them to the channel approximately 15 seconds before start. A console field description found in AWS documentation gives a 30-second minimum in its context; do not treat either lead time as universal. Check the current guidance for the interface or API you use. |
| Immediate | An operator or automation triggers the action | A prompt change without a wall-clock plan | The action is passed to the channel immediately. For a standard two-pipeline channel, MediaLive internally schedules the switch 10 seconds ahead to align the pipelines. |
| Follow | The referenced file input ends | Starting the next file after a preceding file finishes | Follow references a prior input-switch action. The referenced input must be a file input, and its source end behavior must be set to Continue for the documented workflow. |
Follow is not a general “switch after any input ends” setting: its documented use depends on a referenced file input and the required source end behavior. Fixed and immediate actions do not require that file-input condition.
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Add input-switch actions to the schedule
- Open the channel schedule. In the MediaLive workflow, add an input-switch action to the schedule associated with the channel. The schedule is where the source changes are declared; configuring the output destination is a separate task.
- Give the action a unique name. Each action needs its own action name so that a later follow action can reference the appropriate prior switch.
- Set the start mode. Choose fixed, immediate, or follow. In the API schedule request, the start mode is represented by one of the corresponding fixed, immediate, or follow settings. For fixed mode, enter the intended UTC time. For immediate mode, define the action to be passed as soon as possible. For follow mode, reference the prior input-switch action.
- Select the target input attachment. Set the input-switch settings to the attachment name of the source to activate. The target must already be attached to the channel.
- Repeat for each transition. Build one action per planned change, with unique names and start settings appropriate to each transition. If chaining files with follow actions, verify each reference and the required Continue source end behavior.
- Start the channel and verify the workflow. Confirm that the channel is running and check the actual output and transitions in the target workflow. AWS schedule configuration alone does not establish what YouTube viewers will see during an upstream source change.
Clip file inputs when a source should play only part of a file
A file input can be clipped with timecodes. Choose the timecode basis deliberately:
- Zero-based timecode counts from the beginning of the file.
- Embedded timecode uses timecode carried in the source file. It only works when the file contains embedded timecode; AWS notes that otherwise the clipping instructions are ignored.
If MediaLive switches away from a static file input and later switches back to it, ingestion starts again from the beginning of the file or from the beginning of its configured clip. A return switch is not a resume point.
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A restart can change where a file begins relative to an exact playback plan. If the schedule indicates that a fixed or immediate file input should currently be active, MediaLive starts that file or clip from its beginning. It does not seek forward by the time elapsed since the scheduled start. If maintaining an exact sequence matters, include restart behavior in the plan and verify the actual playback position after a restart.
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Configure the RTMP destination separately
An input-switch action selects what the MediaLive channel ingests; it does not configure where the channel sends its output. For an RTMP destination, AWS says the downstream system operator supplies the destination details. These include the protocol (RTMP or RTMPS), address, port, application name, stream name or key, and credentials if required.
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Keep the two configurations distinct: schedule actions point to attached channel inputs, while output settings describe the downstream destination. AWS’s generic RTMP output description includes one video encode and one audio encode in an output group. That alone does not establish that a particular configuration is suitable for a specific YouTube account, provide current YouTube setup steps, or guarantee what viewers see during a source transition. Verify YouTube ingest requirements and account controls against current YouTube guidance for your own workflow.
Troubleshoot common schedule problems
- The channel stays on its current source. Multiple attached inputs do not switch on their own. Check that a schedule action exists, is associated with the channel, and targets the intended input attachment.
- An action cannot target an input. Confirm that the input is attached to the channel and that the action refers to its attachment name, not merely a source label or an unattached input.
- A follow transition does not behave as expected. Confirm that the follow action references a prior input-switch action, that the referenced input is a file, and that its source end behavior is Continue.
- A fixed transition is early, late, or rejected. Check that the intended time is expressed in UTC and consult the current lead-time requirements for the specific console or API path. AWS documentation gives differing minimum lead-time descriptions by context.
- A clip does not respect its boundaries. Check whether the clip uses zero-based timecode or embedded timecode. Embedded-timecode clipping requires embedded source timecode; otherwise AWS says the clipping instructions are ignored.
- A file starts over after switching back or restarting. This is documented behavior for static file inputs and scheduled file inputs: a return to a static file begins at the file or clip start, and after a restart an active fixed or immediate file begins at its start rather than seeking by elapsed schedule time.
- The schedule appears correct but YouTube playback is uncertain. Schedule actions control MediaLive’s source input, not YouTube’s video objects or viewer-side presentation. Check the channel output and verify YouTube-specific ingest and playback behavior separately; a seamless viewer transition is not established by the schedule configuration.
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