The Tool Desk
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What you pay for in a relay setup
A relay sits between local OBS and YouTube. OBS sends its feed to the relay; the relay forwards it to YouTube. The relay can move the YouTube-facing connection into a data center, but it does not eliminate the local OBS-to-relay connection.
- Managed relay: a subscription or usage-based plan. Check whether the exact plan permits continuous prerecorded looping, and whether it forwards or re-encodes your feed.
- Self-managed VPS: server rental plus any billable outbound traffic beyond the regional allowance. You also operate the forwarding process, monitoring, security, updates, and recovery.
Do not treat a public subscription price or a server’s advertised traffic allowance as proof that a 24/7 prerecorded loop is permitted or that the setup will stay live indefinitely.
Estimate relay traffic from bitrate
A 30-day month contains 2,592,000 seconds. Ideal decimal traffic is bitrate in Mbps × 0.324 TB for 30 days. This is arithmetic from the bitrate and time, not a provider measurement; allow for transport overhead and check how the provider defines and meters GB or TB.
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| Stream bitrate | Estimated relay-to-YouTube traffic in 30 days |
|---|---|
| 5 Mbps | About 1.62 TB |
| 6 Mbps | About 1.94 TB |
| 10 Mbps | About 3.24 TB |
| 14 Mbps | About 4.54 TB |
For a 31-day month, multiply a 30-day estimate by 31/30. These estimates cover the relay’s outbound leg to YouTube. Do not count the same stream’s incoming leg as outbound traffic unless the provider’s pricing or network topology bills it that way. If the relay creates multiple outputs or transcodes to different bitrates, estimate each output separately. If it forwards one encoded stream unchanged, outbound volume is driven approximately by the incoming bitrate.
Compare managed relay and VPS costs
| Cost or responsibility | Managed relay service | Self-managed cloud VPS |
|---|---|---|
| Base charge | Subscription tier and billing period; check plan limits. | Server type, region, and billing period. A stable all-in amount depends on the chosen SKU and location. |
| Traffic | Check included transfer, usage caps, and whether the plan supports your stream duration. | Compare estimated egress with the selected region’s included allowance and excess rate. |
| Continuous prerecorded loop | Confirm the exact plan allows the loop and intended duration. | Configure a relay process and watchdog, and confirm the provider permits the workload. |
| Encoding | Find out whether the service forwards or re-encodes and which quality it supports. | Forwarding generally requires less CPU than transcoding; transcoding needs depend on codec and resolution. |
| Operations | Typically less server administration, but service support and plan limits still matter. | You handle updates, restart behavior, monitoring, security, and recovery. |
| Failure paths | Both OBS-to-service and service-to-YouTube connections matter. | Both OBS-to-VPS and VPS-to-YouTube connections matter. |
Managed-service example: Restream
Restream’s pricing page showed monthly prices of $19 for Standard, $49 for Professional, and $239 for Business in the result accessed in 2026. These prices can vary by region, billing period, or promotion; confirm the current Restream pricing page. Its help information says channel limits depend on subscription and that higher plans unlock features including prerecorded streaming, but the available information does not establish the exact continuous-loop eligibility, maximum duration, or usage limits for this particular use. Confirm those details with the current terms or support before choosing a plan.
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VPS example: Hetzner
Hetzner’s traffic documentation lists 20 TB of included traffic for EU CX, CPX, and CAX Cloud Server products; US and Singapore allowances vary by product and may be materially lower. A 10 Mbps feed’s estimated 3.24 TB over 30 days fits within 20 TB on a simple volume comparison, before overhead and other traffic. That allowance is not a server rental price. Check the current Hetzner traffic documentation for your product and region.
Hetzner says a cloud server continues to be billed while it exists, even when powered off, and outgoing traffic beyond included amounts can be charged. Server prices depend on type and location, as well as project currency and VAT treatment. See its billing information and Cloud API documentation; a particular current monthly server price cannot be stated without choosing a region and SKU. Deleting a server may stop server charges but can make restoration and availability more difficult.
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Set the stream up with the right assumptions
- Check YouTube eligibility. Enable live streaming and verify current channel requirements before planning a scheduled loop. YouTube says live streaming requires channel verification and no live-streaming restriction in the preceding 90 days. See YouTube’s live-streaming eligibility guidance.
- Choose a relay that permits your use. Verify that the exact plan or VPS terms allow continuous prerecorded video, looping, and your intended duration. Do not infer 24/7 eligibility from general live or prerecorded-streaming features.
- Configure the feed and keep the key private. Enter the appropriate stream URL and key in the encoder or relay. YouTube describes a stream key as a password-like credential that directs the encoder feed and can be reset; never share it publicly. See YouTube’s encoder setup instructions.
- Match encoder settings to the actual loop. YouTube recommends RTMPS, CBR, and a two-second keyframe interval (not exceeding four seconds). Its H.264 recommendations include 6 Mbps for 720p60 and 5 Mbps for 1080p30. Use the recommendation for your resolution, frame rate, and codec, rather than selecting a bitrate solely to reduce traffic. Review YouTube’s live encoder settings.
- Leave local upload headroom. OBS must send the feed to the relay, so the local connection still matters. YouTube’s network guidance recommends 20% headroom; network disruption can break a stream. A relay shifts the destination-facing connection, not the need for a stable source connection. See YouTube’s network and encoder guidance.
- Test and monitor. Test with realistic movement and audio, then watch YouTube’s stream health. If the source is local, check both the OBS-to-relay link and relay-to-YouTube output; a relay cannot reconstruct input that OBS, the local ISP, or an upstream feed stops sending.
Plan around long-running streams and failure
YouTube’s encoder instructions say, “All streams under 12 hours will be automatically archived.” That statement concerns archive behavior; it does not establish that a stream longer than 12 hours will remain live or be archived as one video. Do not assume a single YouTube live event can run indefinitely. Verify current platform limits and decide how you will handle stream restarts, archives, and monitoring.
Reliability has multiple dependencies: local OBS and internet, the relay, and YouTube ingestion. A cloud relay may keep YouTube-facing delivery separate from your home connection, but it cannot guarantee that the local source, relay, or YouTube will remain available. If the local PC and network are part of the failure risk, a UPS can help with some short power interruptions, but not internet, relay, or YouTube outages.
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Or let it run in the cloud
StreamNeo is a YouTube-only cloud service for keeping an uploaded video or playlist live; it is not a camera encoder. Upload the recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. The cloud loops it without requiring a computer, OBS, or home connection to stay on. It supports uploaded quality up to 4K 60fps at one flat price per slot, with no re-encode or quality tiers, and automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card, one free day per account. Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. UPI and cards are available in India; card checkout is available worldwide. Details are at StreamNeo. Start the free first day.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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