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To loop a prerecorded 4K/60 video on YouTube Live with FFmpeg, pace the file as a live input, encode it to YouTube’s ingest requirements, and send it to the ingest URL and stream key for the specific Live event. The example below is an adaptable SDR H.264 template—not a guarantee that any machine or connection can sustain it. YouTube’s English Help page, current when accessed on October 3, 2026, recommends 50 Mbps for H.264 at 2160p60 and a two-second keyframe interval.
FFmpeg command for a looping 4K/60 stream
This starting point assumes a local video with audio and an FFmpeg build that includes libx264. Replace input.mp4 and the final placeholder with the filename and ingest URL/key assigned to your YouTube Live event. Do not publish or share a real stream key.
ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -i "input.mp4"
-map 0:v:0 -map 0:a:0?
-vf "scale=3840:2160:force_original_aspect_ratio=decrease,pad=3840:2160:(ow-iw)/2:(oh-ih)/2"
-r 60 -c:v libx264 -pix_fmt yuv420p -preset veryfast
-b:v 50M -maxrate 50M -bufsize 100M -x264-params "nal-hrd=cbr"
-g 120 -keyint_min 120 -sc_threshold 0
-c:a aac -b:a 128k -ar 44100
-f flv "<YOUTUBE_INGEST_URL>/<STREAM_KEY>"The example uses -stream_loop -1 to repeat the input indefinitely and -re to read the file at real-time speed for live output. These are separate jobs: looping alone does not pace playback. The loop option is illustrated in a 2022 FFmpeg-user community post, not established here as an official guarantee; check FFmpeg’s reported speed and YouTube’s stream health while running it. FFmpeg-user community example.
What to change and what the settings do
Resolution, aspect ratio, and frame rate
The target is 3840×2160 at 60 fps. The scale-and-pad filter preserves the source aspect ratio while fitting it into a 16:9 canvas, so non-16:9 footage may have bars. Inspect the output framing; the command converts the output to 60 fps, which can duplicate or otherwise convert frames if the source is not 60 fps. Verify the actual outgoing resolution in YouTube Live Control Room rather than assuming the filter guarantees the intended ingest result.
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Bitrate, keyframes, and audio
The command sets a 50 Mbps video bitrate, matching the recommended H.264 bitrate on the English YouTube Help page opened on October 3, 2026. It also sets a two-second keyframe interval: at 60 fps, -g 120 and -keyint_min 120 express 120 frames between keyframes, while -sc_threshold 0 disables scene-cut keyframes. YouTube’s page recommends constant bitrate (CBR), two-second keyframes, and no more than four seconds between them. The audio options encode AAC stereo at 128 kbps and 44.1 kHz, provided the source has an audio stream.
That page lists H.264, H.265, and AV1, up to 60 fps, and recommends Rec. 709 and 8-bit video for SDR. It lists a 4K/60 H.264 minimum of 14 Mbps and recommendation of 50 Mbps; for H.265 or AV1, it lists 10 Mbps minimum and 35 Mbps recommended. For 4K/30, the listed H.264 figures are 11 Mbps minimum and 42 Mbps recommended, and H.265/AV1 figures are 8 Mbps minimum and 30 Mbps recommended. These are figures from that English Help page, not a universal promise about every localized page or event; search results for another localized version showed different 4K/60 H.264 figures. Check the current Live Control Room settings for your stream. YouTube Help: encoder settings, bitrates, and stream health.
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Codec and HDR choices
H.264 is the codec used in this SDR example. YouTube’s Help page also lists H.265 and AV1; choose only a codec your FFmpeg build and encoding hardware can sustain at the target resolution and frame rate. The page recommends H.265 for HDR and says AV1 is not supported for HDR. This command is not an HDR configuration.
Prepare YouTube Live and start the stream
- Create or open the intended live event. In YouTube Live Control Room, select the event and use the ingest URL and stream key assigned to it. YouTube’s API describes the combined destination as
STREAM_URL/STREAM_NAME; use the RTMPS ingest URL supplied for the event when your FFmpeg build and FLV workflow support it. Do not assume every endpoint/build combination works without testing. YouTube Live Broadcasts API. - Check the input and encoder. Confirm the file contains the intended video and audio streams, and that
ffmpeg -encoderslistslibx264. If the command fails with an encoder-not-found error, install or use an FFmpeg build compiled with that encoder, or adapt the command for an encoder available on your system. - Check upload capacity and encode speed. YouTube advises running an upload-speed test and testing with representative movement and audio. The connection must sustain the chosen video bitrate plus audio and transport overhead; the reviewed sources do not establish a specific overhead margin. Choose an encoder preset that can maintain real-time 4K/60 on the actual machine.
- Run the command and inspect Live Control Room. Confirm YouTube receives both audio and video, reports the expected resolution and frame rate, and shows healthy stream status. Test before relying on a continuous broadcast. YouTube says 4K streams use normal latency; its low-latency improvement option is unavailable at 4K.
Common failures and fixes
- FFmpeg reports an unknown encoder: the local build may not include
libx264. Check the listed encoders and use a build or supported encoder suited to your system. - YouTube reports missing audio: the optional map
-map 0:a:0?lets FFmpeg proceed when the source has no audio, but YouTube expects exactly one audio stream. Add a suitable audio input or deliberately configure one supported audio stream, then test it. - Encoding falls behind or the stream stutters: the CPU or other encoder may not sustain real-time 4K/60, or the upload may not reliably carry the bitrate and overhead. Check FFmpeg’s reported speed, YouTube’s stream health, and upload capacity; reduce the output target or use an encoder and machine that can sustain it.
- YouTube flags a keyframe, codec, container, or resolution issue: read the specific health message. The Live Streaming API documents errors for unsupported codec/container, missing audio, an overlong keyframe interval, unsupported resolution, and video ingestion starvation. Compare the outgoing settings with the event’s current requirements. YouTube Live Streams API.
- The command runs but the live event is not healthy: a running FFmpeg process does not prove successful ingestion. Recheck the event’s ingest URL and key, and use Live Control Room’s health messages to locate the problem.
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