If your YouTube live stream freezes when FFmpeg moves to a playlist video with different dimensions, treat the boundary as a clue—not proof of a YouTube fault. First check whether FFmpeg is copying video instead of scaling and encoding it, then compare the stream properties and timestamps around the freeze. A fixed-size output is a useful diagnostic test; also check YouTube’s stream-health messages and whether its resolution and frame-rate settings match the outgoing stream.
Why a resolution change can coincide with a freeze
A playlist transition can change more than width and height: codec configuration, frame rate, pixel format, timestamps, or audio layout may also differ. If the outgoing stream changes properties mid-broadcast, the transition is worth investigating. The symptom alone does not establish that YouTube caused the freeze, or that resolution was the only change.
Start by identifying the ingest protocol and preserving the evidence: save the full FFmpeg command, its version/build, the playlist files’ stream metadata, and logs immediately before and after the freeze. Note the freeze time and compare it with YouTube Live Control Room’s stream-health messages.
Check whether FFmpeg is copying or transcoding
Stream copy does not normalize varying inputs
FFmpeg’s stream-copy mode (commonly -c:v copy) forwards compressed packets without decoding, filtering, or encoding them. It therefore cannot apply scaling to make differently sized source videos share one output size. FFmpeg documents output frame sizing with -s as inserting the scale filter at the end of the filtergraph; a filter requires a decode-and-encode path, not video stream copy. See the FFmpeg documentation.
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Test a stable output format
For diagnosis, try transcoding the playlist through an explicit filter chain that scales each input to one chosen output size and pixel format. Use dimensions appropriate for your material and encoder, and verify the resulting stream metadata rather than assuming the filter produced the intended output. Keep output frame rate, codec configuration, audio layout and sample rate, and GOP/keyframe cadence stable where possible. These are diagnostic recommendations, not a claim that YouTube rejects every midstream change.
Do not change several variables blindly in a production broadcast. Test with representative playlist items—including the differently sized pair—and compare FFmpeg logs and stream health before and after the boundary.
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Check YouTube’s resolution and ingest settings
Automatic or manual resolution detection
YouTube Help says: “By default (recommended), YouTube will automatically detect your resolution and frame rate.” If you selected manual settings in Live Control Room, confirm the outgoing stream actually uses that resolution and frame rate. The YouTube Live Streaming API describes automatic resolution as variable and requires cdn.frameRate to be variable as well; variable frame-rate detection likewise requires variable resolution. Check the stream status as well as whether FFmpeg is running: API statuses include active, error, inactive, and ready.
RTMP or RTMPS
For RTMP/RTMPS ingest, YouTube’s encoder guidance lists H.264, H.265, and AV1, supports up to 60 fps, recommends constant bitrate (CBR), and recommends a two-second keyframe interval—not exceeding four seconds. Bitrate depends on codec, resolution, and frame rate. For example, YouTube’s H.264 recommendations include 10 Mbps for 1080p30 and 12 Mbps for 1080p60; consult the current table for the actual mode rather than applying those figures to other formats. See YouTube Help: Choose live encoder settings, bitrates, and resolutions.
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HLS ingest is a different diagnosis
Do not apply HLS segment rules to RTMP. YouTube’s HLS guidance calls for 1–4 second MPEG-TS segments, a rolling playlist with no more than five outstanding segments, HTTPS POST/PUT, and no byte ranges. YouTube notes HLS has higher latency than RTMP because it sends segments rather than a continuous stream. If you use HLS, check these requirements separately in YouTube’s HLS ingest guide.
A step-by-step troubleshooting workflow
- Identify the ingest protocol. Confirm whether the stream key/workflow uses RTMP/RTMPS or HLS. Apply only that protocol’s requirements.
- Capture the exact setup. Save the full FFmpeg command, FFmpeg version/build, playlist source metadata, and logs surrounding the freeze. Record the transition time.
- Compare both sides of the boundary. Check input and output dimensions, codec/profile and pixel format where reported, frame rate, timestamps, and audio stream layout/sample rate. Look for decoder, filter, encoder, or muxer warnings.
- Look for stream copy. If video uses
-c:v copyor equivalent and source dimensions vary, test a decode/filter/encode output with a fixed scale and pixel format. Confirm the actual output properties. - Verify YouTube’s configuration. Check whether resolution and frame rate are automatic or manual. For API configuration, automatic detection requires both values to be
variable. - Match the time of the freeze. Compare FFmpeg messages and YouTube Live Control Room stream-health messages at the same timestamp. A running FFmpeg process alone does not show that YouTube is receiving and accepting usable stream data.
- Reproduce before the event. Test with representative sound and moving video, including the files that trigger the transition. YouTube recommends testing with representative audio and movement; review stream-health messages during the test.
- Broaden the investigation if needed. If fixed-size transcoding and matching ingest settings do not resolve it, examine discontinuous timestamps, malformed media, connection interruptions, encoder overload, or audio/video stream changes. These are possibilities to investigate against the actual logs, not confirmed causes.
Common symptoms and what to check
| Symptom | What to check | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze occurs exactly when the next playlist file starts | Whether dimensions, codec parameters, frame rate, pixel format, timestamps, or audio properties change | Compare metadata and logs at the boundary; test transcoding all items to stable output properties. |
| FFmpeg continues running, but YouTube’s stream status is not active | Ingest connection, stream key/configuration, API or Live Control Room status, and stream-health messages | Use YouTube’s reported status and messages to distinguish a local process from a stream YouTube is accepting. |
| Manual resolution/frame-rate selection is enabled | Whether the actual outgoing stream matches the selected values | Correct the outgoing format or use YouTube’s recommended automatic detection; API automatic settings require both resolution and frame rate to be variable. |
| Fixed-size transcoding does not fix the freeze | Timestamp continuity, media validity, encoder load, connection interruptions, and audio/video changes | Use the matching FFmpeg warnings and YouTube health messages to narrow the cause rather than assuming resolution alone is responsible. |
| The stream uses HLS | Segment duration and format, playlist window, request method, and byte-range behavior | Check YouTube’s HLS requirements separately; they do not describe RTMP ingest. |
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