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To play several prerecorded videos during one YouTube Live event, put them in a playlist-capable playout source in your encoder—such as OBS Studio’s VLC Video source—and send its continuous output to YouTube. A YouTube channel playlist is not the same thing: YouTube Live receives one audiovisual feed, and your production software changes the video within that feed. OBS supports ordered playlist playback, but neither OBS nor YouTube guarantees a frame-perfect, gapless transition between files, so test your actual clips and setup before relying on it.
What “a YouTube Live playlist” means
For this workflow, the playlist is an input to the software producing your live feed, not a list on your YouTube channel or watch page. YouTube receives the encoder’s continuous audio-and-video output as one live event. The encoder or playout software decides which prerecorded file appears in that output and when it changes.
That distinction matters: arranging videos in a YouTube playlist does not make them play one after another inside an existing live feed. Sequence the files before they reach YouTube.
Set up an ordered playlist in OBS Studio
Prepare and check the videos
- Put the media files on the computer running OBS and decide the playback order.
- Check the end of each video and the beginning of the next. Pay particular attention to audio tails, silent openings, black frames, differing frame rates or dimensions, and whether a file has an unexpected pause at its end.
- Make sure the files play correctly on that computer. A playlist source cannot make incompatible or damaged media behave consistently.
Add the VLC Video source
- Install VLC on the computer if it is not already installed. OBS’s official Media Sources documentation says VLC must be installed for the VLC Video source to appear.
- In OBS, select the scene that will go to YouTube. In the Sources panel, choose + and select VLC Video.
- Add the video files to the source’s playlist in the desired order. Leave shuffle disabled if you want a fixed sequence.
- Enable Loop Playlist only if you want the sequence to start over after the final item. Check any other playback options against the source’s behavior and your event needs.
- Position and size the source in the scene, and confirm that its audio is included in the OBS mix. Start playback and verify the picture and sound before configuring the event.
OBS describes VLC Video as a playlist-capable source, “similar to an Image Slideshow.” Its documentation establishes that it can play a list and provides loop and shuffle controls; it does not promise that transitions between files are gapless.
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Connect OBS to a YouTube Live event
- In YouTube Studio, create or schedule a live event and open its Live Control Room. YouTube’s encoder setup guide explains how to create an encoder-based live stream and obtain the server URL and stream key.
- In OBS, open Settings > Stream and select the YouTube service if available. Enter the event’s stream key, or use the connection method offered by your YouTube and OBS versions. If entering details manually, use the event’s stream URL and stream key provided by YouTube; do not share the key.
- Start streaming from OBS. Keep the encoder running while the playlist advances from one file to the next.
- Wait for the feed to appear in the YouTube Live Control Room preview. Check the picture and audio there, then start the live event when you are satisfied. YouTube recommends testing and previewing a stream before an event.
YouTube’s API documentation distinguishes a broadcast—the event viewers watch—from the stream carrying audiovisual content to YouTube. That distinction is useful for planning events, but it does not provide a feature for switching local files through a YouTube playlist during one live event.
Test for gaps before the event
A playlist setting is not proof of a seamless handoff. Run the entire sequence through the same OBS scene and settings you intend to use, and inspect transitions in the YouTube preview or a private or unlisted test where appropriate.
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- Watch the picture across every file boundary for black frames, frozen frames, or a brief blank source.
- Listen through the transitions for a cut, pause, abrupt level change, missing audio, or overlapping audio.
- Confirm the next item starts in the expected order and that looping behaves as intended, if enabled.
- Check what the scene shows if a file ends, fails to load, or takes time to start. Do not assume OBS will fill an unexpected gap with the next clip immediately.
- Monitor the YouTube preview and stream status, not only the local OBS canvas. A clean local transition does not establish that the delivered feed looks the same.
If you see a gap, investigate the source transition and the files’ playback behavior in the playout setup. Changing YouTube live events is a separate workflow; it does not establish seamless playback between files in one event.
What to do if playback does not behave as expected
- VLC Video is missing: install VLC, then reopen OBS and check the Sources panel again. OBS lists VLC as a prerequisite for this source.
- Files play in the wrong order: review the playlist order and make sure shuffle is off.
- The list stops after the last file: enable Loop Playlist if you want it to repeat. If you want a single pass, leave looping off.
- A transition contains black or silence: inspect the files’ boundaries and playback compatibility, then test the sequence again. The playlist feature itself does not guarantee a gapless boundary.
- YouTube does not show the encoder feed: verify that OBS is using the stream key and URL for the correct event, then check the Live Control Room preview and connection status before starting the event.
- The local preview looks right but the YouTube preview does not: use the YouTube preview as the check for the delivered stream and test with the same event and encoder configuration planned for the broadcast.
Copyright and live-event checks
Having permission to play a recording in a video does not automatically establish that you can rebroadcast it as a YouTube live stream. Before going live, confirm that you have the rights needed for the video, music, performances, and any other included material. A successful local playlist test only checks playback; it does not establish that the content is cleared for a public broadcast.
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When dedicated hardware may make sense
YouTube recommends professional-grade hardware encoders for higher-production-value events. That is an optional production choice, not a requirement for the OBS playlist workflow. Hardware encoding may suit a production whose broader setup calls for it, but the device is not a substitute for a source that sequences the prerecorded videos. Check playlist support and test transitions in the complete setup you choose.
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