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Use FFmpeg’s concat demuxer to read a text playlist in order, then place -stream_loop -1 before the playlist input to repeat it indefinitely. Pace the file input with -re, encode to a YouTube-compatible stream, and test the transitions: looping alone does not make videos with different formats or timestamps join cleanly.
What you need before you start
- FFmpeg installed on a computer that can stay on and maintain a reliable internet connection for the broadcast.
- Local video files you have the right to stream. YouTube’s copyright and monetization rules still apply to music and video in a live playlist.
- A YouTube live stream configured in YouTube Studio, with a stream key. Treat the key like a password: do not publish it, commit it to a script repository, or share it in logs.
- A playlist whose files FFmpeg can access. The concat demuxer works best when every file has the same streams, codecs and time bases.
The example below uses H.264 video and AAC audio, with RTMP ingest. YouTube recommends RTMPS, the encrypted version, where available; use the ingest address supported by your YouTube stream configuration.
Create the FFmpeg playlist file
Make a plain-text file named playlist.txt. Its first line must be exactly ffconcat version 1.0 if you want FFmpeg to recognize the format automatically. Do not add a blank line, other text or a byte-order mark before it. Add one file directive per video, in the order you want them to play.
ffconcat version 1.0
file '/media/music/video-01.mp4'
file '/media/music/video-02.mp4'
file '/media/music/video-03.mp4'Replace each example path with the real path on the machine running FFmpeg. Quote paths that contain spaces or special characters using concat-file syntax. On Windows, use paths appropriate to your system and take care with backslashes and quoting. The playlist is read relative to the FFmpeg process’s working directory unless you use absolute paths.
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Check the files before streaming
The concat demuxer is a virtual concatenation method: it reads each file in sequence and adjusts timestamps so the next file follows the previous one. FFmpeg’s documentation says all files must have the same streams, including codecs and time bases: FFmpeg concat demuxer documentation. If clips vary in video codec, audio stream layout, dimensions, frame rate, pixel format or aspect ratio, normalize them to a common format first or use a filter-based workflow that converts each input consistently. A 2024-09-22 FFmpeg-user mailing-list response also recommends matching properties for a static playlist; that is practical guidance, not a promise of seamless transitions: FFmpeg-user discussion.
Inaccurate duration information can cause artifacts. The concat demuxer allows a duration directive where you need to set a duration explicitly. Do not assume -stream_loop -1 repairs timestamp discontinuities or incompatible media.
Configure the YouTube Live output
YouTube’s current live encoder guidance supports RTMP/RTMPS ingest and H.264, H.265 (HEVC) or AV1 video; AAC or MP3 audio; and constant bitrate (CBR) encoding. For a straightforward compatibility-oriented setup, the command below encodes H.264 video and AAC audio. YouTube recommends a two-second keyframe interval and sets four seconds as the maximum. With 30 fps video, -g 60 gives a two-second interval. If you change frame rate, adjust the GOP length accordingly. See YouTube’s live encoder settings.
YouTube’s published H.264 bitrate recommendations include these ranges. They are platform recommendations, not guarantees of a particular viewer experience:
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| Output profile | Recommended video bitrate |
|---|---|
| 720p at 30 fps | 3–8 Mbps |
| 720p at 60 fps | 3–8 Mbps |
| 1080p at 30 fps | 5–14 Mbps |
| 1080p at 60 fps | 6–17 Mbps |
Choose a rate within the range for your intended resolution and frame rate, and below what your internet connection can sustain reliably. YouTube lists 128 Kbps audio and a 44.1 kHz sample rate for stereo in its advanced recommendations. Test your actual upload capacity and watch the stream health indicators rather than assuming a nominal connection speed will hold.
Run the playlist as a live stream
This illustrative command reads the playlist at native media rate, repeats it, transcodes to H.264/AAC, and sends it to YouTube. It is a starting point, not a tested command or universal preset.
ffmpeg -re -stream_loop -1 -f concat -safe 0 -i playlist.txt
-c:v libx264 -preset veryfast -pix_fmt yuv420p
-b:v 5M -maxrate 5M -bufsize 10M -g 60
-c:a aac -b:a 128k -ar 44100
-f flv 'rtmp://a.rtmp.youtube.com/live2/REPLACE_WITH_STREAM_KEY'- Set the video bitrate. The example’s
5Mis for illustration. Select a suitable rate from YouTube’s range for the output resolution and frame rate; set-b:vand-maxrateto the chosen rate, and adjust-bufsizeappropriately. - Set the keyframe interval. At 30 fps,
-g 60corresponds to two seconds. For another frame rate, use roughly two times the frames per second to retain that interval. - Use the correct stream key and ingest address. Replace the placeholder with the key from your YouTube live stream configuration, and select an ingest protocol and address YouTube supports for that configuration. YouTube recommends RTMPS where available.
- Start the stream and check both ends. Watch FFmpeg’s output for failed stream mapping, missing audio or non-monotonic timestamps. In YouTube Live Control Room, confirm the incoming signal and monitor stream health.
-stream_loop -1 is an input option, so it appears before -i playlist.txt. It asks FFmpeg to repeat the concat input indefinitely. -re paces file input at native media rate so it behaves like a live source instead of being sent as fast as the computer can read it. The command encodes rather than copying source streams, which gives you control of the outgoing codec and settings.
Test transitions and check YouTube’s rules
Before announcing or scheduling a long broadcast, run a short test with representative clips and then test the complete playlist loop. YouTube advises testing with representative movement and audio and monitoring stream health and messages during the event: YouTube live encoder guidance.
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- Confirm every listed path resolves from the FFmpeg process and every clip has the expected audio and video streams.
- Compare stream count, codecs, time bases, dimensions, frame rates and audio channel layout across playlist entries.
- Listen and watch at file boundaries. Look for silence, a frozen frame, a jump, missing audio, timestamp warnings or an unexpected change in aspect ratio.
- Check that the output resolution, frame rate, bitrate and keyframe interval match your intended YouTube ingest profile and the connection’s sustained upload capacity.
- Use music and video you are authorized to broadcast. A playlist file does not grant rights to copyrighted recordings, performances, artwork or video, and repeated content remains subject to YouTube policies.
Troubleshoot common failures
FFmpeg cannot open a playlist file or one of its clips
Check the working directory, spelling, capitalization where relevant, and whether the FFmpeg process can read each path. Use absolute paths to remove ambiguity, and quote paths containing spaces or special characters. Ensure the playlist’s first line is the exact format marker if relying on automatic format recognition.
The next video causes errors, a freeze or a bad transition
Compare the streams and timing properties of the files around that boundary. The concat demuxer expects matching stream structures, codecs and time bases. Normalize mismatched files before concatenating them, or adopt a filter-based workflow built to convert each input. Check FFmpeg output for non-monotonic timestamps and inaccurate duration effects; looping does not correct those problems.
There is no audio, or audio changes between clips
Inspect the audio stream in every playlist entry, including codec, channel layout and sample rate. A video-only file or changing audio layout can interrupt an intended continuous soundtrack. Ensure the output maps the intended audio and that each clip supplies a compatible stream before relying on the playlist for continuous audio.
YouTube reports a weak or unstable stream
Check that the selected bitrate is within YouTube’s recommendation for the output profile and below the connection’s sustainable upload capacity. Confirm that encoding is CBR as required by YouTube’s guidance, and that the keyframe interval is two seconds or less than the stated four-second maximum. Test again while monitoring YouTube’s stream health messages.
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The stream stops after one pass
Confirm that -stream_loop -1 is before the relevant -i playlist.txt input and that the process has not exited because of an input, encoding or network error. The option repeats media input; it does not prevent a computer shutdown, internet outage or YouTube ingest interruption.
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