To repeat a pre-recorded file in AWS Elemental MediaLive, set its input attachment’s Source end behavior to LOOP. Then configure a MediaLive RTMP output group with the stream URL and key from YouTube Live Control Room. YouTube recommends RTMPS where supported. A looping input restarts at the end of the file; it will not finish so a following follow input can take over.
What you need before configuring the channel
- A supported file input: MediaLive lists MP4 files with an
.mp4extension and TS files with.tsor.m2tsextensions as VOD sources. See AWS MediaLive source types. - A MediaLive channel with that input attached and an RTMP output group configured for YouTube’s destination details.
- A YouTube Live event and its stream URL and stream key from Live Control Room. YouTube describes the key as password-like, so keep it secret. See YouTube live settings.
The exact codec, bitrate, destination fields, and available channel settings depend on your MediaLive configuration and YouTube event. Confirm the supported combination in the current consoles before going live.
Set the file to loop in MediaLive
- In the MediaLive channel configuration, open Input attachments and select the file input.
- Open that attachment’s general settings and set Source end behavior to LOOP.
- Save the channel configuration. When the file ends, MediaLive starts ingesting it again from the beginning. AWS documents this behavior in the MediaLive User Guide.
This setting belongs to the input attachment. It is not the same as input-loss handling: input-loss behavior addresses what happens after a loss, such as replacement frames or a slate, rather than intentionally replaying a completed file. See AWS input-loss behavior.
Send the channel output to YouTube
- In the MediaLive channel, add an RTMP output group. AWS’s setup instructions are in Creating an RTMP output group.
- In YouTube Live Control Room, copy the stream URL and stream key for the event. Enter the destination information in MediaLive’s output configuration. AWS destination fields include protocol, address, port, application name, and stream name; credentials may also be required. See AWS RTMP destinations.
- Choose RTMPS if it is available and compatible with the MediaLive destination configuration. YouTube recommends RTMPS, which encrypts the connection to Google’s servers. Copy the RTMPS URL shown for your event rather than assuming the default URL is the secure one. See YouTube’s RTMPS instructions.
- Protect the stream key as you would a password. Do not publish it or expose it in screenshots or public logs.
Use the protocol and destination values offered for your event, and check that MediaLive’s destination protocol and certificate settings work with the selected URL.
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Choose encoder settings and test the stream
YouTube’s encoder settings guidance lists RTMP/RTMPS, H.264, H.265/HEVC, or AV1 video, up to 60 fps, constant bitrate (CBR), and a recommended two-second keyframe interval (no more than four seconds). MediaLive’s available codecs depend on the input and output configuration, so do not assume every codec YouTube lists is available for every MediaLive channel.
Bitrate must match the codec, resolution, and frame rate. As examples, YouTube’s H.264 guidance, checked in 2026, gives 1080p at 30 fps a minimum of 5 Mbps and a recommended 14 Mbps; for 1080p at 60 fps it gives a minimum of 6 Mbps and a recommended 17 Mbps. These are examples for those H.264 profiles, not universal settings. Use the current YouTube table’s matching row for your chosen profile.
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- Test with movement and audio representative of the program, not only a static frame or silent segment.
- Confirm YouTube receives the stream and monitor stream health in Live Control Room before relying on the loop.
- Check the event’s current ingest details and the MediaLive channel’s available settings if the selected codec, frame rate, or destination is rejected.
Choose the right repeat and scheduling behavior
| What you want | MediaLive behavior | Important consequence |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat the same file whenever it reaches the end | Set Source end behavior to LOOP. | The file restarts; a following follow input will not take over because the current input does not complete. |
| Play a file once, then let another input take over | Set the first input to CONTINUE and configure the follow-input transition. | CONTINUE plays once; a follow input can take over when the first input ends. |
| Replay a static file at a later scheduled time | Switch away from the file input, then switch back to it. | Re-selecting a static file input starts it from the beginning of the file or clipped section; this is scheduled re-selection, not continuous looping. |
AWS documents the follow-input limitation and end behavior in the MediaLive User Guide, and the restart behavior for re-selecting a static file in its file input documentation.
Troubleshoot common problems
The file plays once and stops
Check the selected input attachment’s Source end behavior. If it is set to CONTINUE rather than LOOP, the file is ingested once and MediaLive follows the applicable next-input or input-loss behavior.
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The next input never starts
If the current input is set to LOOP, it restarts at end-of-file instead of completing, so a following follow input cannot take over. Set the preceding source to CONTINUE when the intended schedule is to hand off to another input.
YouTube does not receive the stream
Check that the stream URL, stream key, protocol, address, port, application name, and stream name match the event and MediaLive output configuration. Confirm whether the event provides RTMPS and that the selected destination protocol and certificate settings are compatible.
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YouTube reports an encoder or stream-health issue
Compare the actual output codec, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, CBR setting, and keyframe interval with the current YouTube guidance for that profile. Verify that the codec is available for your particular MediaLive configuration, then test with representative audio and motion and monitor Live Control Room.
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