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YouTube can schedule encoder-based live streams, and OBS can loop a playlist while a stream is running—but those are separate tasks. The documented YouTube and OBS controls do not establish a built-in six-hour recurring broadcast or a verified unattended way to restart one. You can schedule individual broadcasts yourself, or arrange an external automation workflow; do not mistake OBS’s playlist loop for a broadcast restart.
What “repeat every 6 hours” means
There are two possible meanings:
- Repeat the videos inside one continuous broadcast: OBS can play a VLC playlist and loop it when it reaches the end. The broadcast itself stays active; it does not restart every six hours.
- End and start a new broadcast every six hours: YouTube lets you schedule a stream, but the reviewed documentation does not show a six-hour recurrence control or verify an unattended relaunch method.
If you need a broadcast to end and a new event to begin on that cadence, plan to schedule and start separate broadcasts yourself or set up an external automation workflow that you have independently verified. The official instructions below cover scheduling and playlist looping, not reliable automated restarts.
Schedule an encoder-based YouTube stream
- Open YouTube Studio’s Live Control Room. In YouTube Studio, select Create → Go Live, open Manage, then choose Schedule Stream. Create a new stream or reuse settings from a previous one. YouTube documents that reusing settings copies the previous stream’s metadata, settings, and stream key; review and change details as needed. YouTube’s encoder-stream instructions and live-stream settings guidance describe these options.
- Set up the encoder connection. In the stream details, get the YouTube Live server URL and stream key, then enter them in your encoder’s streaming settings. Treat the stream key as private: anyone who has it may be able to send video to your stream.
- Start the encoder when the scheduled stream is due. Start streaming from the encoder, wait for the preview in Live Control Room, then select Go live. Scheduling an event does not itself mean that a playlist is looping or that a new broadcast will automatically start every six hours.
- Repeat for later events if you need six-hour starts. Schedule each separate broadcast and start its encoder when due, unless you have another automation workflow. YouTube’s cited instructions do not establish a native six-hour repeating schedule or verify a particular unattended scheduler.
YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. That is an archive behavior, not a six-hour restart feature. See YouTube’s encoder-stream instructions.
Loop a playlist inside OBS
For a playlist of multiple local media files, OBS’s VLC Video source is the relevant option. It requires VLC to be installed, and OBS documents it for Windows, macOS, and Linux. These steps loop the media inside an active broadcast; they do not schedule or restart the broadcast.
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- Install VLC. Install VLC on the computer running OBS. The VLC Video source may not appear in OBS if VLC is not installed.
- Add the playlist source. In OBS, add a VLC Video source to the scene you plan to stream.
- Add playlist items. In the source’s properties, add the media files in the order you want them to play.
- Enable Loop Playlist. Turn on Loop Playlist so playback restarts after the final item. OBS describes this option as restarting the source when it has run out of media files.
- Connect OBS to YouTube and go live. Use the YouTube server URL and stream key for the scheduled stream, start streaming in OBS, confirm the preview in Live Control Room, and select Go live when ready.
For a single file rather than a multi-file playlist, OBS also documents looping a Media source. For multiple files, use VLC Video. See the OBS Media Sources documentation.
Keep viewers informed about the schedule
A scheduled YouTube stream may appear as upcoming in subscriber feeds, and viewers can choose Notify me. Share the event URL and communicate the schedule—and any changes—to viewers. YouTube’s guidance covers promoting a scheduled stream and planning a live-stream upload schedule.
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Rights and channel-policy checks
Before streaming playlist audio or video, make sure you have the rights needed to broadcast every item on YouTube. Repeating material does not grant permission to use it. A playlist loop also does not establish that a channel meets YouTube’s monetization or other channel-policy requirements. Review YouTube’s current rules for your content and channel before scheduling; for a practical pre-stream checklist, see StreamNeo’s copyright safety checklist.
Troubleshooting
- VLC Video is missing in OBS: Install VLC, then reopen OBS and check the source list again.
- The last playlist item plays but the first does not restart: Open the VLC Video source properties and enable Loop Playlist.
- The scheduled event is visible, but no live picture appears: Start the encoder with the matching YouTube server URL and stream key, wait for the preview in Live Control Room, and then select Go live.
- The stream ends but does not restart six hours later: Playlist looping only repeats media within an active broadcast. Schedule and start a new event yourself, or configure an external automation workflow; the cited YouTube and OBS documentation does not verify an unattended six-hour relaunch setup.
- A stream is archived before a longer session finishes: YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. The cited guidance does not establish behavior for a session lasting 12 hours or more, so do not rely on it to confirm that a longer broadcast will remain live or be archived as expected.
Or let it run in the cloud
For a continuous YouTube broadcast of uploaded videos, StreamNeo is a cloud option: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key, and go live. It loops the uploaded videos without a computer or home connection staying on. It keeps a continuous stream running; it is not a documented six-hour event-restart scheduler.
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