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To loop a prerecorded video as a YouTube live stream through Restream, add the local file to an OBS Media Source, enable that source’s Loop option, connect OBS to Restream, and turn on YouTube as a destination. Start the stream from OBS, then verify the preview and event in YouTube Live Control Room. This broadcasts an encoder-based live stream; it is not the same as a viewer using YouTube’s Loop control on an uploaded video.

Before you start

  • Install OBS and have the video file stored locally on the computer running it.
  • Make sure your YouTube channel is verified and has had no live-streaming restrictions in the previous 90 days. YouTube’s live-streaming eligibility guidance explains how to get started.
  • In YouTube Live Control Room, create or schedule an encoder stream and keep its settings available. You will need to confirm the intended event before going live.
  • Have a Restream account and connect your YouTube channel as a destination.

Menu labels can change over time. The steps below use the names in the services’ documentation.

Set up the looping video in OBS

  1. Create or select a scene. In OBS, select an existing scene or add one in the Scenes panel.
  2. Add the file. In the Sources panel, select + and choose Media Source. Create a new source, then browse to and select the local video.
  3. Enable the loop. In the Media Source properties, check Loop. This makes the file play again when playback completes. The separate settings Restart playback when source becomes active and Show nothing when playback ends do not enable looping.
  4. Check the picture and sound. Confirm the video is visible in the OBS preview and that its audio appears on the mixer. OBS documents support for formats including .mp4, .ts, .mov, .flv, .mkv, .avi, .gif, and .webm in its Media Sources documentation.

For one local file, Media Source is the direct option; VLC Video Source is a separate source type and requires VLC to be installed. The Loop setting applies to the OBS source, not to an existing YouTube watch-page video.

Connect OBS to Restream

Restream documents two ways to send OBS to its service. Use the account connection for a more convenient setup, or enter RTMP details manually when you want to choose and manage the stream card and key yourself.

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Option 1: Connect your Restream account

  1. In OBS, open Settings > Stream.
  2. Choose Restream.io as the service and select the account connection option.
  3. Sign in to Restream and authorize the connection. Restream says this links OBS to the stream card marked Default RTMP.

Option 2: Enter RTMP details manually

  1. In Restream, create or open an Encoder | RTMP stream.
  2. Copy the stream key shown for that stream.
  3. In OBS, open Settings > Stream and enter the Restream server and key. Restream says the server can be set to Autodetect or a region you choose.
  4. Apply the settings and save them.

Follow Restream’s current OBS connection instructions if the account-connection or manual-entry labels differ in your version. Treat the stream key like a password: do not show it on screen or share it. YouTube describes the key as the credential an encoder uses to send a feed; reset it if it is exposed. See YouTube’s live-stream settings help.

Enable YouTube and prepare the event in Restream

  1. Open the encoder stream in Restream and toggle on your connected YouTube channel as a destination.
  2. Set the title, description, and thumbnail for the broadcast. Restream may let you customize the title and description for an individual destination.
  3. Confirm that the selected YouTube event is the encoder stream you created or scheduled in Live Control Room. Do not assume that selecting a destination alone chose the event you intended.

Restream’s OBS connection guide covers the account link, while its streaming-software guide explains selecting destinations and setting stream details.

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Check OBS output before broadcasting

Restream’s current OBS guidance recommends CBR rate control and a 2-second keyframe interval, alongside color-format and profile recommendations. These are Restream’s recommendations, not a universal preset for every resolution, format, or destination. Check the current requirements for your YouTube event and use the applicable guidance in Restream’s OBS setup article. Avoid changing several encoding settings at once: if the stream has a problem, it is easier to identify which setting caused it.

Start the stream and verify the YouTube broadcast

  1. Start streaming in OBS.
  2. Check the Restream stream page for an incoming feed and stream performance.
  3. Open the selected event in YouTube Live Control Room and inspect its preview or watch page.
  4. Confirm that the expected video and audio are present, the correct event is selected, and the file restarts at the point you expect.
  5. Monitor the broadcast after it begins. YouTube recommends checking audio and video quality in its live-streaming tips.

An active OBS connection by itself does not confirm that the correct YouTube event is receiving the stream.

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What “loop” means on YouTube

This procedure repeats a local file in OBS and sends it as a live broadcast. YouTube’s player Loop option instead repeats an already published video for an individual viewer; it does not create a live stream. For viewer-side looping, use the player menu as described in YouTube’s playback help.

During a live broadcast, YouTube DVR lets viewers pause, rewind, and resume within the stream. YouTube warns that DVR may be limited or unavailable for streams longer than 12 hours; DVR is a viewer feature, not a way to loop the source. See YouTube’s DVR help.

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Troubleshoot common problems

The video plays once and stops

Open the Media Source properties and check Loop. Confirm you edited the source actually present in the active scene; making a scene visible or loading a file is not the same as enabling its Loop property.

OBS is streaming, but Restream or YouTube has no picture

Confirm the OBS stream service and server/key are for the intended Restream stream, and that the YouTube destination is toggled on. Then check the Restream incoming feed and the correct event’s preview in YouTube Live Control Room.

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The YouTube event has the wrong title or is not the intended event

Review the event selected in Live Control Room and the destination metadata in Restream before broadcasting. Restream can offer destination-specific details, so check the YouTube destination rather than assuming all destinations use identical metadata.

There is no audio, or audio is unexpected

Check that the file’s audio is present in OBS’s mixer and that the meters respond during playback. Confirm audio in the YouTube preview before relying on the public broadcast.

The stream key was exposed

Reset or replace the exposed key in the relevant YouTube or Restream stream settings, then update OBS with the new credential. Do not display the key in a scene or share it with others.

A long broadcast stops unexpectedly

This setup depends on the local computer, OBS, the source file, network connection, YouTube event configuration, and platform policies. The cited platform guidance does not establish a guarantee that a local OBS broadcast will remain live indefinitely. Check the OBS connection, Restream feed, and YouTube event when diagnosing an interruption.

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