To loop prerecorded story videos into a continuous YouTube livestream, put compatible files in a text playlist and feed it to FFmpeg’s concat demuxer with real-time pacing and infinite looping. Then encode the output to YouTube Live’s RTMPS ingest URL using the stream key from your Live Control Room. The setup depends on the files matching the concat demuxer’s requirements; if they do not, normalize them or use the concat filter and re-encode.
What you need before starting
- An installed FFmpeg build with the concat demuxer and the encoders you intend to use. Encoder availability varies by platform and build; check your local build rather than assuming
libx264is present. - Local video files arranged in the order you want the stories to play.
- A YouTube channel with access to Live Control Room, where you can obtain the account-specific RTMPS ingest URL and stream key.
- An upload connection that can sustain the chosen video and audio bitrate with room for normal network variation.
The command below is an illustrative starting point for compatible H.264/AAC inputs, not a tested universal command. It assumes a 30 fps output for its 60-frame GOP and that the installed FFmpeg build includes the listed encoders.
Prepare and check the story files
Make the playlist
Create a plain text file named playlist.txt in the directory where you will run FFmpeg. Put one video entry per line, in playback order:
file 'story-01.mp4'
file 'story-02.mp4'
file 'story-03.mp4'The concat script may also begin with the exact line ffconcat version 1.0 to identify its format. Keep paths simple where possible. Paths containing spaces or special characters need correct quoting or escaping.
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Check compatibility and durations
The concat demuxer expects the files to have the same streams, codecs, and time base. Compare resolution, frame rate, audio sample rate and channel layout as well as stream count and codec. The files’ duration metadata also needs to be reliable: FFmpeg uses each file’s duration to calculate timestamps for the next one, so incorrect duration information can cause gaps or artifacts at boundaries.
If the inputs differ in stream layout, codec, time base, resolution, frame rate, or audio configuration, normalize or transcode them first, or use FFmpeg’s concat filter and re-encode. Stream copy is an option only when the sources are already compatible with one another and YouTube’s ingest expectations.
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Get YouTube’s ingest details
- Open YouTube Studio and go to Live Control Room for the stream you are setting up.
- Copy the RTMPS server URL and the stream key shown for that stream. Use those exact, account-specific values; do not substitute a URL or key from another setup.
- Keep the key secret. Avoid putting a command containing the key in screenshots, shared scripts, or logs. Use protected environment variables or another method appropriate to your system.
YouTube’s current encoder guidance lists H.264, H.265/HEVC, and AV1 video over RTMP/RTMPS, up to 60 fps; CBR video bitrate encoding; AAC or MP3 audio; and a recommended two-second keyframe interval, not exceeding four seconds. For H.264, YouTube recommends 10 Mbps at 1080p/30 fps and 17 Mbps at 1080p/60 fps. Its stereo audio recommendation is 128 Kbps at 44.1 kHz. These are YouTube’s recommendations, not a guarantee of picture quality or a substitute for checking your connection’s capacity. YouTube does not give a publication year for the guidance; these figures reflect the page as accessed in 2026.
Run FFmpeg with real-time pacing and looping
Example command for compatible H.264/AAC inputs
Replace the environment-variable values with the RTMPS URL and key from Live Control Room. The example uses a 5 Mbps video rate, which is a template value—not YouTube’s recommended H.264 rate for 1080p in the guidance above—and may not suit your resolution or motion. Choose settings for your target stream and the upload connection you can sustain.
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ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -f concat -safe 0 -i playlist.txt
-c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -b:v 5M -maxrate 5M -bufsize 10M
-g 60 -keyint_min 60 -sc_threshold 0
-c:a aac -b:a 128k -ar 44100 -ac 2
-f flv "$YOUTUBE_RTMPS_URL/$YOUTUBE_STREAM_KEY"-re and -stream_loop -1 are input options, so keep them before the playlist’s -i. -re reads the file input at its native frame rate so it is paced like a live feed; -stream_loop -1 requests indefinite repetition. The concat demuxer reads the playlist sequentially, so its line order determines the story order.
The -g 60 and -keyint_min 60 values mean a 60-frame GOP; at 30 fps that is two seconds. If you change output frame rate, adjust the GOP to preserve the intended keyframe interval. Match bitrate, frame rate, resolution, and codec to the stream you configure in YouTube and to your sustained upstream capacity.
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When stream copy may be appropriate
If all files have matching streams, codecs, time bases, and timestamps, and the resulting output is accepted by YouTube, stream copy with -c copy can reduce CPU use. It avoids re-encoding, so it cannot make incompatible inputs compatible. Confirm boundary behavior and ingest acceptance before relying on it for a long broadcast. When the inputs do not match, re-encoding is the more suitable route.
Test the stream and monitor it
- Start with a short test using representative story footage and audio, including a file boundary and the point where the playlist should repeat.
- Check YouTube’s stream health and preview before relying on the broadcast. Confirm that audio is present, motion is smooth, the picture is correctly sized, and the connection remains stable.
- Watch the FFmpeg output for errors and monitor the actual stream during the broadcast. A command starting successfully does not establish that every boundary, bitrate, or network condition will behave correctly over time.
Troubleshoot common failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | What to check or change |
|---|---|---|
| FFmpeg cannot find a playlist entry or stops at a file boundary | Incorrect path, quoting, or playlist entry; mismatched streams or unreliable duration metadata can also break boundary timing. | Check each path from the working directory, correct quoting, and inspect every input with FFprobe. Compare stream count, codec, time base, frame rate, resolution, audio sample rate and channel layout, and duration metadata. |
| FFmpeg reports an unsafe file path | The concat demuxer’s safe-path checks reject an entry. | Prefer safe relative paths. For a trusted local playlist only, -safe 0 relaxes the path restrictions; do not use it with untrusted paths. |
| Picture or sound jumps, gaps, or artifacts appear at transitions | Inputs do not match the concat demuxer’s stream requirements, or duration metadata is wrong. | Verify streams and durations. Normalize or transcode the files, or switch to the concat filter and re-encode. |
| YouTube does not accept the ingest connection | The RTMPS URL or key may be wrong, or the output settings may not match the configured stream. | Copy the URL and key again from Live Control Room. Check codec, bitrate, keyframe interval, and the stream’s configured settings. YouTube notes that RTMPS SSL errors can require the correct rtmps URL and, in some cases, port 443. |
| The stream buffers or drops despite valid settings | The upload connection may not sustain the chosen bitrate reliably. | Use a rate your upstream can maintain, allow connection headroom, and monitor YouTube’s stream health. Lowering the target bitrate may improve stability, at the cost of image quality. |
RTMPS or HLS?
For a conventional H.264/AAC FFmpeg output, RTMPS is the straightforward ingest path. YouTube also describes HLS as an alternative for HDR or codecs unsupported by RTMP, but HLS uses segmented delivery and has greater latency. It also has playlist, segment-duration, format, and HTTPS method requirements, so it is not a drop-in replacement for the RTMPS command above.
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