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DocumentaryTube
audio troubleshooting

Best File Format for Looping Product Videos on YouTube Live Without Audio Problems

MP4 is a practical OBS source format for a looping YouTube Live product video. The outgoing stream still needs supported audio settings and correct routing.

By DocumentaryTube Team 5 min read
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Use an MP4 file as the product-video source in OBS, enable Loop in the Media Source properties, and send the live stream to YouTube with H.264 video and AAC stereo audio. The MP4 is the file OBS plays; YouTube receives a separately encoded live stream. If viewers hear nothing, check the source audio, OBS mixer and stream routing in that order—not just the filename.

Why MP4 is a practical choice—and what it does not do

OBS supports MP4 as a Media Source, and YouTube lists MP4 among its supported upload formats. YouTube’s recommended upload profile uses MP4 with H.264 video and AAC-LC audio. Those are file and upload recommendations, however; a live broadcast has its own ingest settings. OBS plays the local file, then encodes and sends a live stream to YouTube.

For a straightforward compatibility-first setup, keep the source as MP4 and use H.264 video with AAC stereo for the outgoing stream. YouTube’s current RTMP/RTMPS guidance also lists H.265/HEVC and AV1 video, and MP3 audio, but using those options does not solve missing source audio or incorrect routing. YouTube recommends RTMPS, the secure variant of RTMP. YouTube’s live encoder settings distinguish these ingest requirements from the source-file choice.

Set up the looping video in OBS

  1. Prepare the product video as a local MP4 and confirm it contains the intended audio track. A file extension alone does not establish that there is sound in the file.
  2. In OBS, add a Media Source to the scene, select the local file, and enable Loop in the source properties. OBS documents that Loop restarts playback after the file ends.
  3. While the source plays, watch its level in the Audio Mixer. If its meter does not move, check that the file has an audio track and that the source is playing as expected.
  4. Confirm the source is not muted and is included in the audio track selected for stream output. Set the outgoing audio encoder to AAC stereo as the straightforward YouTube-compatible choice.
  5. Run a short test of the actual scene. Listen to the audio and inspect the picture and movement at the end-to-start transition. OBS’s loop setting restarts playback, but does not guarantee that every export will have a gapless or frame-perfect boundary.

For a playlist rather than one file, OBS’s VLC Video source offers a Loop Playlist property that restarts the playlist when it runs out of items. OBS Media Sources documentation explains the available source behavior.

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Live-stream settings to use as a starting point

Setting Starting point What it applies to
Local source MP4 The file OBS plays, not the live ingest format.
Video codec H.264 A compatibility-first live-stream choice; YouTube also lists HEVC and AV1 for RTMP/RTMPS.
Audio codec AAC stereo A suitable default for the outgoing live stream. YouTube also lists MP3 for RTMP/RTMPS.
Stereo audio rate 44.1 kHz and 128 kbps YouTube’s recommended advanced settings for stereo audio.
Bitrate mode CBR YouTube recommends constant bitrate for live encoding.
Keyframe interval 2 seconds; do not exceed 4 seconds YouTube’s live encoder guidance.
H.264 video bitrate 720p30 or 720p60: 8 Mbps; 1080p30: 14 Mbps; 1080p60: 17 Mbps YouTube-recommended live ingest examples, not a guarantee of quality on every connection. Choose a profile your upload connection can sustain.

These live-stream values come from YouTube’s encoder settings guidance. If the connection cannot sustain the selected bitrate steadily, choose a lower profile rather than assuming a higher number will produce a better broadcast.

Find the cause when viewers hear no audio

Follow the signal path from the file to YouTube. The OBS mixer helps locate the break: a moving meter means the source is producing a signal inside OBS, not necessarily that the audience is receiving it.

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  1. No meter movement: check that the file contains an audible track, that playback is active, and that the Media Source is configured correctly.
  2. The meter moves, but the stream is silent: confirm the source is unmuted, assigned to the audio track used for stream output, and included in the outgoing mix.
  3. OBS output appears correct, but YouTube reports a format error: check the stream’s audio codec and other ingest settings. YouTube’s Live Control Room reports unsupported codec or container configurations as stream-format errors; consult its stream error guidance.
  4. You hear an echo: look for the same device being captured both in OBS global audio settings and as a scene-level source. OBS warns that duplicate capture can cause echo.
  5. You need to listen locally: configure OBS audio monitoring separately and select a monitoring device. Hearing audio locally does not prove that it is routed to viewers.

OBS recommends checking the mixer meters and selecting devices manually when the expected signal is absent. See its audio sources documentation and audio monitoring documentation. YouTube’s encoder setup guidance covers connecting an encoder to a live broadcast. Test with the real scene before the event and check YouTube’s stream health while it runs.

When HLS is relevant

RTMP/RTMPS with H.264 video and AAC audio is the usual compatibility-first path for this workflow. HLS is another ingest option for supported use cases; YouTube lists AAC, AC3 and EAC3 audio for HLS. It has additional segment and playlist requirements and higher latency because it sends segments. Changing to HLS does not fix a muted source or audio routed to the wrong stream track. See YouTube’s HLS guidance before choosing that path.

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Or let it run in the cloud

If your goal is to keep a prerecorded product video live on YouTube without leaving a computer running, StreamNeo runs the loop in the cloud. Upload the recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. It plays uploaded videos, not a live camera feed.

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Copyright and channel-policy checks

Technical playback does not establish that you have permission to broadcast the video, music, images or other material it contains. Check the rights for every component before streaming. YouTube’s copyright and reused-content policies are separate from whether an encoder accepts the stream; an MP4 that plays correctly can still raise rights or monetization issues. Review YouTube’s copyright guidance and channel monetization policies.

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