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If OBS goes black between videos, first identify whether the gap occurs at a clip boundary, after a playlist ends, or when a source becomes hidden. Then check the playback and visibility settings for the source you actually use: a local Media Source or a VLC Video playlist. Those settings can explain some black screens, but OBS does not document a universal setting that guarantees gapless playback between every playlist item.
First, pinpoint when the black screen appears
Before changing settings, watch a repeatable occurrence and note what happens around it. The timing helps distinguish a playback-end problem from a visibility or scene-change problem.
- Only between clips: Check whether the source advances to the next file and whether the files play correctly on their own.
- After the last playlist item: Check the loop or end-of-playback behavior.
- When changing scenes, or hiding and showing a source: Check what the source does while inactive and whether it reloads when shown again.
- Audio continues while the picture is black: Note that separately; it may help distinguish a video-display issue from playback stopping.
- The last frame remains visible: Record that too. It differs from a source disappearing or going black.
Also note your OBS version, operating system, whether the files are local or networked, and whether the issue affects every clip or only particular ones. Without those details, the cause cannot be identified reliably.
Check which OBS source type is playing the videos
Local Media Source
A Media Source plays a media file. OBS documents controls for looping the file, what happens when playback ends, restarting when the source becomes active, and closing the file when it is inactive. OBS Media Sources documentation (page dated January 11, 2022) explains these controls.
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- Loop: Controls whether the file plays again after playback completes. For one file intended to repeat continuously, check that looping is enabled.
- Show nothing when playback ends: Hides the source when its file finishes. If you expect a frame or other content to remain visible at the end, check whether this option matches that expectation.
- Restart playback when source becomes active: Controls whether playback restarts when the source becomes visible in the current scene. Test it with your actual scene changes if the black screen follows a hide/show event.
- Close file when inactive: Unloads the file while the source is hidden or off the current scene. OBS notes that the source may take a short time to reload when shown again.
For a gap at the end of a single file, check the intended loop and end-of-playback behavior. For a gap after switching scenes, test the inactive-file and restart settings using the same hide/show sequence that triggers the issue. Do not change every option at once: each setting controls a different behavior.
VLC Video playlist
OBS describes VLC Video as similar to Media Source, but with support for a playlist. Its controls include Loop Playlist, Shuffle Playlist, and Visibility Behaviour. Loop Playlist determines whether playback starts over after the list runs out; OBS documents its default as on. Visibility Behaviour controls what happens when the source is not visible: playback can continue, pause, or stop.
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VLC Video relies on VLC libraries, so VLC must be installed. OBS specifies that a 64-bit OBS installation requires 64-bit VLC. If the source behaves unexpectedly, check that dependency as well as the playlist settings.
A black gap between playlist items is not necessarily the same as reaching the end of the playlist. Confirm that the source advances and that each affected file plays correctly. The OBS documentation describes playlist and visibility controls; it does not promise gapless decoding or establish a setting that eliminates every interval between clips.
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Separate media playback events from scene visibility
If you use scripts or automation, OBS developer documentation lists source lifecycle signals including media_started, media_ended, media_play, media_restart, media_stopped, and media_next (OBS source reference documentation). Compare the timing of a black interval with those playback events. A matching end or next event points toward investigating playback progression; if no playback transition coincides, examine source visibility, scene transitions, or rendering. This is a diagnostic use of the documented signals, not a guarantee that any one event identifies the cause.
What an older OBS issue can—and cannot—tell you
An OBS GitHub issue opened on July 19, 2020 describes a black Media Source in a specific setup: OBS 25.0.8 on Windows 10, with Loop, Restart playback when source becomes active, and Close file when inactive enabled, after the source had remained unused since OBS launched. The report records one user’s historical experience; it is not proof of a current general OBS bug or a verified fix for newer versions. See OBS issue #3192.
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If your current setup seems similar, test the behavior in your installed OBS version and collect a log covering the incident before attributing it to that old report.
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- OBS version and operating system.
- Exact source type and the relevant source properties.
- Whether the media is local or networked.
- Whether audio continues during the black interval and whether the last frame holds.
- Whether every playlist file is affected and whether the gap occurs at every item boundary.
- A short recording of the OBS preview and an OBS log covering the incident.
These details help distinguish a file-specific or playback-boundary issue from a scene or source visibility change. OBS’s Knowledge Base is the official starting point for its guides.
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