If your vMix YouTube stream goes black between playlist videos, first identify whether you are using separate inputs in PlayList or multiple files in one List input. In PlayList, check the items’ display types, transitions and durations; in List, check automatic-advance and loop settings and whether a file is disabled. Then compare vMix’s program output with a local recording and the YouTube player to find where the black interval first appears. The available documentation does not establish one cause or one fix for every gap.
First find where the black screen appears
Before changing settings, distinguish a gap in the media handoff from a problem later in the output chain. Watch vMix’s program output during the transition, and, if possible, make a local recording to compare with the YouTube player. If the program output is already black, focus on the playback feature and its item settings. If the program output and local recording look correct but YouTube does not, record that difference when troubleshooting; the available vMix documentation does not establish YouTube as the cause of playlist gaps.
- Black in vMix program output: investigate the PlayList or List handoff and the relevant inputs.
- Program output looks right, but a local recording is black: note the mismatch and the recording method; the supplied evidence does not establish a specific recording fix.
- Program output and local recording look right, but YouTube is black: note that the symptom appears only in the YouTube playback, rather than changing playlist settings at random.
Check whether you use PlayList or List
PlayList: separate inputs with per-item settings
PlayList automates switching between inputs or playing multiple videos sequentially. Its items have individual settings, including start position, duration, transition, transition duration and display type. An item with an Overlay display type appears over the preceding item for its configured duration. That makes the item immediately before and after the gap—and whether either is an overlay—the first settings to inspect.
List: several files in one input
List plays a sequence of video or audio files as one input. It can play files back to back and loop without requiring all files to be loaded at once. Its controls and failure modes are different from a PlayList’s per-input transition settings, so do not look for a PlayList transition setting to fix a gap caused by List playback.
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Fix a gap between PlayList videos
- Open the PlayList window and identify the two items on either side of the black interval. Confirm that each item points to the intended input or media.
- Inspect the item before the gap. Check its duration and transition settings, then check the next item’s start position, transition and transition duration. Compare the configured handoff with when the black interval occurs.
- Check Display Type on both items. If an item uses Overlay, remember that it is layered over the preceding item. Observe the underlying program or live view during the handoff: a transition may reveal what is underneath rather than showing the next video as expected.
- Test a simpler handoff. If the gap involves an overlay, try a cut or a main-program transition as a diagnostic. Change one setting at a time and replay the same handoff so you can tell whether that setting affects the symptom.
- Save and retest the active preset. PlayList settings are saved with the active preset. Recheck the same transition after saving, rather than assuming a change will carry over to a different preset.
A vMix forum user reported in June 2021 that an overlay returned momentarily to the underlying live view between inputs. The user interpreted the behavior as the overlay being cut off before the next input faded in. That is one report about a particular setup, not proof of a general vMix defect or a guaranteed explanation for your black interval. Use an overlay test to see whether the behavior matches your production.
Fix a gap in a List input
- Open the List input’s controls and verify that the intended files appear in the expected order.
- Check Auto Next. It is enabled by default. If automatic playback is intended, confirm it remains enabled; if you expect manual advancement, confirm the actual behavior matches that choice.
- Check Auto First and Loop. Confirm that the list begins with the intended entry and that its end-of-list behavior matches your intended playback. These controls affect list behavior, but the available documentation does not identify any one setting as the cause of every black interval.
- Look for disabled entries. Verify that neither the file before the gap nor the next intended file has been disabled.
- Replay the same sequence and compare outputs. Check vMix’s program output and a local recording against YouTube playback to establish whether the gap starts in the List playback or appears later.
If neither playback checklist explains it
vMix’s knowledge-base index lists other, distinct blank-screen or flicker topics, including video display switching, High Input Performance Mode, GT inputs and Web Browser inputs. Those topics do not establish the cause of a playlist gap. Consider them only if the symptom fits one of those input or display scenarios; avoid applying a remedy for an unrelated blank-screen issue just because its name sounds similar.
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If you cannot isolate the cause, gather details that let someone reproduce the handoff:
- vMix version and the active preset;
- whether playback uses PlayList with separate inputs or one List input with multiple files;
- the two items surrounding the gap, including their Display Type, duration and transition settings where applicable;
- the approximate length and timing of the black interval; and
- whether it appears in vMix’s program output, a local recording, YouTube playback or more than one of them.
The available documentation does not establish a more specific fix without those details. If you ask for help, include the information above and, when practical, a short reproducible example.
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What PlayList and List can—and cannot—do for continuous playback
Both features can support sequential playback and looping, but they represent different workflows. PlayList automates switching between inputs and provides per-item transition and display-type controls. List presents multiple media files as one input and avoids requiring every file to be loaded at once. vMix describes these as basic sequential playback tools; its support article, last updated January 17, 2025, says it does not support time-of-day scheduling for 24/7 TV programming. A loop is not the same thing as scheduling programmes to begin at specified times.
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