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To show a countdown between prerecorded videos without ending your YouTube broadcast, create a separate countdown scene in OBS and switch to it near the end of each playlist item. Use a Media Source for one video or a VLC Video source for a playlist; for automatic switching, OBS community users describe a workaround with the Advanced Scene Switcher plugin. That automation is not a built-in, guaranteed playlist feature, so test full cycles before leaving a stream unattended.
Choose the right OBS media setup
In OBS, scenes are layouts for the stream, and sources are the media and visual elements inside those layouts. Create one scene for your videos and another for the countdown slate.
| What you want to play | OBS source | Settings and trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| One video that repeats | Media Source | Turn on Loop. It is a single-file option, not a multi-item playlist. |
| Several videos in sequence | VLC Video | Add the media files to its playlist. Leave Shuffle Playlist off for ordered playback. VLC must be installed; 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. |
OBS documents Media Source support for video files such as MP4, TS, MOV, FLV, MKV, AVI, GIF, and WebM. Listed extensions do not guarantee that every codec combination will behave identically.
Create the video scene
- Make a scene. In the Scenes dock, add a scene for your video playback.
- Add the playback source. In the Sources dock, add a Media Source for a single file, or a VLC Video source for a playlist. If using VLC Video and it does not appear as an available source, install VLC; match its 64-bit edition to 64-bit OBS.
- Set playback behavior. For Media Source, enable Loop if the file should repeat. Its documented defaults are Loop off, Restart playback when source becomes active on, and Show nothing when playback ends on. For VLC Video, Loop Playlist defaults on and Shuffle Playlist defaults off.
- Check visibility behavior. VLC Video’s documented default is to stop when not visible and restart when visible. If switching to the countdown scene hides the playlist, consider whether pausing and resuming is more appropriate—but verify that it preserves the playlist position in your setup.
- Arrange the image. Select the source and position or resize it in the preview so it fills the stream canvas as intended.
OBS’s official Media Sources guide, dated 2022-01-11, explains the source controls and playback options.
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Build the countdown slate scene
- Add a separate scene. Name it clearly, such as “Countdown.”
- Add the slate. The most predictable option is a pre-rendered countdown video added as a Media Source. Set its duration to the break length you want. Alternatively, make a static card with an image and text, or use a browser source to show web content.
- Layer and position its sources. In the Sources list, items higher in the list appear above lower items. Drag sources to set the layer order, then position and resize them in the preview.
The cited OBS documentation covers source setup, but it does not provide a built-in live countdown timer procedure or verify a specific timer webpage. A pre-rendered video avoids depending on an external page; if you choose a browser-based timer, test its display and behavior before streaming.
See the official OBS Sources Guide for adding, showing or hiding, sizing, and positioning sources. It is dated 2022-01-11.
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Switch scenes automatically between playlist items
OBS does not document a built-in “insert a slate between every playlist item” control. An OBS community forum workaround uses the Advanced Scene Switcher plugin to detect that the current VLC playlist item is nearly finished, switch to the countdown scene, and then switch back after the slate finishes.
- Install and configure Advanced Scene Switcher for your OBS installation, then create a macro with a media-state condition for the playlist item.
- Trigger near the end, not after it. Community examples use a “playing” condition with “time remaining shorter than” a small threshold—one example used about 1–2 seconds and another used less than 1000 ms. Treat these as example settings to test, not universal values.
- Switch to the countdown scene. Set the macro action to change to your slate scene as the item approaches its end.
- Set the return transition. Create a second macro or condition to return to the video scene after the countdown media ends.
- Confirm playlist progression. Check whether the playlist advances correctly and whether hiding the VLC source stops, pauses, or restarts playback as expected.
The scene-switching approach comes from OBS community forum discussions dated 2021-11-01 and 2023-01-05, not an official OBS recipe. Forum users report that an “ended” trigger may not fire as expected when a looping playlist advances directly to its next item, and that hidden-source pause behavior can vary. Run multiple complete cycles using your actual files, loop setting, source visibility behavior, OBS version, and plugin version before relying on unattended operation. See the OBS community forum discussion.
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Use a manual change if automation is unreliable
You can switch between the video and countdown scenes manually using OBS’s scene controls. A hotkey can also be configured in OBS settings if you want a keyboard shortcut. This approach requires someone to make the switch at each break; the sourced guidance does not establish a dedicated hardware controller or recommend a particular one.
Check the stream before leaving it unattended
- Play through several video-to-slate-to-video cycles and confirm the expected scene appears each time.
- Verify the playlist advances in the intended order and that the countdown lasts for the planned break.
- Test the VLC visibility behavior with the countdown scene active; confirm whether the playlist continues, pauses, or restarts when hidden.
- Check the installed OBS and plugin versions together. Community-reported behavior is not a compatibility guarantee.
- Use media you have the rights to stream. A countdown card does not change the copyright status of the videos in the playlist.
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