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DocumentaryTube
Advanced Scene Switcher

How to Schedule OBS Playlist Scenes During a Nonstop YouTube Stream

Use VLC Video Source to run a playlist inside a scene, Advanced Scene Switcher to schedule OBS scene changes, and YouTube Studio to control the broadcast itself.

By DocumentaryTube Team 5 min read
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To move through clips inside one OBS scene, use VLC Video Source and configure its playlist. To switch between separate OBS scenes at clock times, use Advanced Scene Switcher. These are two different jobs—and neither one schedules YouTube’s broadcast to start or end. Configure and verify the YouTube broadcast separately if viewers must see the stream without a manual Go Live step.

Choose what you mean by “schedule”

Your goal Use What it controls
Play a series of local videos within one scene OBS VLC Video Source Playlist playback, including looping, shuffle, and behavior when its source is hidden.
Switch from one OBS scene to another at chosen dates or times Advanced Scene Switcher Scene changes driven by conditions and actions in its macro system.
Make the scheduled YouTube broadcast visible to viewers YouTube’s broadcast controls, configured separately from OBS Whether the broadcast starts for viewers when OBS sends the stream.
End a nonstop broadcast when a playlist finishes Not a built-in playlist-completion behavior established by the available OBS guidance A scene change is not the same as stopping the YouTube broadcast.

OBS describes VLC Video Source as letting users “create a playlist of items, similar to an Image Slideshow.” OBS Media Sources documentation explains the source’s playlist behavior and settings.

Play and loop a playlist inside one scene

Install the matching VLC version

VLC Video Source requires VLC to be installed. Match its architecture to OBS: for 64-bit OBS, install 64-bit VLC. If the source is missing or cannot load media, check this prerequisite before rebuilding the playlist.

Add the playlist and choose its playback behavior

  1. In OBS, select the scene that should contain the playlist.
  2. In the Sources panel, add a VLC Video Source. Give it a clear name so you can identify it when configuring scenes.
  3. In the source properties, add the local media paths in the order you want them played.
  4. Set Loop Playlist according to whether the list should repeat. OBS documentation says this setting defaults on.
  5. Set Shuffle Playlist if you want randomized order rather than the listed sequence. OBS documentation says it defaults off.
  6. Set the source’s visibility behavior deliberately. Choose whether it should stop and restart, pause and resume, or always play when its scene is hidden, based on whether playback should continue off air.
  7. Apply the properties and test several items, including the transition from the final item back to the first if looping is enabled.

Visibility matters when a playlist source sits in a scene that is switched off. If the source is set to stop when hidden, it will not simply continue as though the scene remained visible. Use the always-play behavior when playback must keep advancing while the scene is hidden; use pause/resume or stop/restart when you want it to wait for its scene to return.

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Switch between scenes at chosen times

Check plugin compatibility first

Advanced Scene Switcher automates OBS actions through macros, including date/time conditions and scene-switch actions. The OBS Project Forums listing accessed in 2026 showed version 1.36.1, last updated August 7, 2026, and a minimum OBS Studio version of 31.1.1. Those are listing details, not a promise that every later or differently configured OBS installation is compatible; check the current listing against your OBS version before installing: Advanced Scene Switcher on the OBS Project Forums.

Create a clock-based scene schedule

  1. Install a version of Advanced Scene Switcher compatible with your installed OBS Studio version.
  2. Open the plugin’s macro interface and create a macro for each scheduled transition.
  3. Add a date/time condition for when the transition should occur.
  4. Add a scene-switch action that selects the intended OBS scene.
  5. Repeat for each transition, checking the date, time, target scene, and order before relying on the schedule unattended.
  6. Run a short test and confirm that the expected scene becomes active at the intended time.

The plugin listing establishes that date/time conditions and scene-switch actions are available; it does not establish timing accuracy for every computer or setup. Test the schedule in your own scene collection rather than assuming an exact unattended transition.

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For a sequence timed to clip lengths

If scenes should change after known video durations instead of at clock times, calculate each transition from the actual media lengths and account for any gaps, fades, or other scene transitions in your setup. Build the sequence in the plugin and test it end to end. A clock-based date/time condition and an elapsed-duration sequence are different scheduling approaches; do not assume that a time-of-day macro automatically tracks a clip’s playback position.

Configure YouTube’s broadcast separately

An OBS scene schedule controls what OBS displays; it does not decide whether a scheduled YouTube broadcast has started for viewers. An OBS community guide notes that when YouTube auto-start is disabled, starting to send the stream from OBS does not by itself make a scheduled broadcast live: the operator must also use YouTube’s Go Live control. YouTube Studio labels and flows may change, so confirm the current broadcast controls in your account rather than relying on old interface directions.

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  1. Set up the YouTube broadcast and its scheduled start in YouTube Studio.
  2. Check whether auto-start is enabled for that broadcast and decide whether a manual Go Live action is required.
  3. Start streaming from OBS at the appropriate time.
  4. Verify the broadcast’s live status in YouTube Studio. Do not treat OBS’s connection alone as confirmation that viewers can see it.

Playlist finish is not a stream-stop trigger

An OBS community forum answer says automatic stream termination when a playlist finishes is not built in. A timed scene change may help manage what appears next, but it should not be treated as a command to end the YouTube broadcast. If the broadcast must remain nonstop, plan what viewers will see after the playlist ends—for example, a loop or a deliberate holding scene—and handle broadcast termination separately when you actually want to end it.

Preflight checks for an unattended run

  • Confirm every media path loads and the playlist order is correct.
  • Verify loop and shuffle are set as intended, and test the playlist wraparound if it should repeat.
  • Hide and restore the VLC source during a test to confirm its stop, pause, or always-play behavior matches the plan.
  • Listen to the audio through scene changes and check that the intended source remains audible.
  • Test every scheduled macro and scene transition before leaving the stream unattended.
  • Confirm YouTube’s broadcast status in Studio, including whether auto-start or a manual Go Live action applies.
  • Decide what happens after the last clip; do not expect the playlist to stop the broadcast automatically.
  • Have a recovery path if a source, OBS, or the connection is interrupted; the cited OBS and plugin documentation does not guarantee uninterrupted operation.
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