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In OBS, use Media Source for one sermon video and turn on Loop if it should repeat. For a sequence of videos, use VLC Video Source and enable Loop Playlist. Then check what happens when playback ends or the source is hidden. These settings address common playback causes, but OBS does not guarantee a gapless transition between every pair of files.
First, find out where the black screen appears
Watch OBS’s preview or output at the moment one video ends and the next should begin. If the scene is still present but its video has disappeared, frozen, or turned black, investigate the media source and its playback settings. If OBS looks normal but the YouTube stream is missing or degraded, check YouTube Live Control Room and the encoder or connection instead.
A black interval alone does not identify the cause. OBS playback and the path from the encoder to YouTube are separate layers; compare what OBS shows with the YouTube stream preview and status before changing playlist settings. YouTube’s encoder setup instructions describe connecting an encoder and checking the preview before going live.
Choose the right OBS source
| What you are playing | OBS source | Repeat setting | Requirement or consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| One local video file | Media Source | Loop | Check what the source does when playback ends. |
| A sequence of local video files | VLC Video Source | Loop Playlist | VLC must be installed; 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. |
These controls are documented in OBS Project’s Media Sources guide, dated January 11, 2022. A loop setting tells OBS to repeat media; it is not a promise that every transition will be gapless on every system or with every file.
#1 Best Overall
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Set up a single sermon video in Media Source
- Open the scene in OBS that contains the sermon video, or add a new scene for it.
- Add or select a Media Source. In the source properties, choose the local video file you want to play.
- Enable Loop if the file should start again after it finishes.
- Check Show nothing when playback ends. If enabled, the source can show nothing at the end of playback. Turn it off if that end-of-file behavior is not intended for your scene.
- Check Close file when inactive if the source is hidden during scene changes. OBS unloads the file when hidden; when shown again, it may take a short time to reload.
- Test the ending and restart in the actual scene. Confirm what OBS’s preview shows when the file ends and when the source is made visible again.
Set up multiple videos in VLC Video Source
- Install VLC if it is not already on the computer. Match its bitness to OBS: 64-bit OBS needs 64-bit VLC.
- Add a VLC Video Source to the intended OBS scene.
- Check the playlist in the source properties. Confirm that the intended files are present and in the order the church wants them played.
- Enable Loop Playlist if the list should start over after its final media file. OBS defines this setting as restarting the source after it has run out of media files.
- Review Visibility Behaviour. The source can continue, pause, or stop when hidden. OBS’s documented default is to stop when not visible and restart when visible. Choose the behavior that fits how your scenes are used.
- Test a real transition between the actual files in the intended scene, including the last file returning to the first if the playlist repeats.
Check the YouTube side without changing the wrong setting
If OBS’s local output is correct through the transition but viewers see a black or degraded stream, inspect the encoder connection and YouTube Live Control Room. Check the stream preview and status there; a playlist loop cannot fix a problem between OBS and YouTube. If OBS itself goes black at the boundary, return to the source type, playlist, loop, end-of-playback, and visibility settings.
Before the service
- Run the transition between the files you will actually use in the scene you will actually stream.
- Watch OBS output at the boundary, then confirm the preview in YouTube Live Control Room.
- If the list repeats, test the final-to-first transition as well as ordinary clip changes.
This check can reveal a configuration problem, but it cannot guarantee that every transition or live connection will be failure-free.
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Or let it run in the cloud
If the goal is an always-on YouTube stream built from uploaded videos, StreamNeo is an alternative to keeping OBS running on a church computer. Upload the recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. StreamNeo loops the uploaded videos from the cloud, so nothing has to stay on at home. It streams the files as uploaded, up to 4K 60fps, at one flat price per slot; it can automatically recover if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card, one free day per account. Monthly: $9.99 per month. This is for uploaded video playback, not a live camera feed. Visit StreamNeo or start the free day.
Quick Recap
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