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OBS YouTube Loop Stream: Best Bitrate Settings for 1080p Pre-Recorded Videos

For 1080p YouTube Live loops, choose bitrate by ingest codec and frame rate: YouTube recommends 14 or 17 Mbps for H.264 and 10 or 12 Mbps for AV1/H.265.
Length5 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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For a 1080p YouTube Live loop, set OBS to CBR, use a 2-second keyframe interval, and choose the live bitrate for the codec and frame rate you actually send. YouTube’s current live-ingest recommendations are 14 Mbps for H.264 at 30 fps, 17 Mbps for H.264 at 60 fps, 10 Mbps for AV1 or H.265/HEVC at 30 fps, and 12 Mbps for AV1 or H.265/HEVC at 60 fps. These are starting targets, not guarantees: your stable upload capacity and stream health matter too.

Recommended 1080p live bitrate by codec and frame rate

A prerecorded video sent through OBS is still encoded and delivered to YouTube as a live stream. Use YouTube’s live encoder guidance—not its separate video-upload guidance—to choose the bitrate. The recommendations below are from YouTube Help’s live encoder settings, accessed in 2026.

OBS output sent to YouTube YouTube live bitrate minimum Recommended starting bitrate
1080p30, H.264 5 Mbps 14 Mbps
1080p60, H.264 6 Mbps 17 Mbps
1080p30, AV1 or H.265/HEVC 4 Mbps 10 Mbps
1080p60, AV1 or H.265/HEVC 4 Mbps 12 Mbps

The bitrate depends on both ingest codec and frame rate; “1080p” alone is not enough to select one number. The 60 fps recommendation is higher than the 30 fps recommendation in each codec group. Use the row that matches the encoder output YouTube receives. If you are unsure which codec OBS is sending, check the encoder selected in OBS’s streaming output settings rather than assuming based on the source file.

Live-stream settings to use in OBS

  • Rate control: CBR (constant bitrate).
  • Bitrate: choose the applicable recommended starting target in the table above.
  • Keyframe interval: 2 seconds. YouTube recommends 2 seconds and says not to exceed 4 seconds.
  • Transport: RTMPS, YouTube’s recommended secure streaming transport.
  • Resolution and frame rate: set the output to 1920 × 1080 and the intended 30 or 60 fps. Match the table row to the output, not merely the file’s label.

OBS’s overview guide describes setting video bitrate under Output and output resolution and common FPS under Video. Simple output mode adjusts bitrate based on upload speed and service limitations; Advanced output mode gives separate stream and recording controls. For a live loop, configure the stream output. Recording quality is a separate setting and does not set the live bitrate.

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Use the stream key and server information shown in YouTube Studio’s live setup for the broadcast. Keep the key private: anyone who obtains it may be able to send a feed to your channel. Do not reuse a key publicly or include it in a screenshot or tutorial.

Choose how OBS repeats the prerecorded content

One local video file

  1. In OBS, select or create the scene that will carry the stream.
  2. Under Sources, select + and add Media Source, then choose the local video file.
  3. In the source properties, enable Loop. This repeats the file after playback completes.
  4. Leave Restart playback when source becomes active enabled if you want the file to restart whenever the source becomes active; OBS documents this as on by default. Show nothing when playback ends is also on by default, but with Loop enabled the file should begin again rather than end.

An ordered playlist

  1. Install VLC if it is not already installed. OBS’s VLC Video source requires VLC; 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC.
  2. Add a VLC Video source and add the media files in the order you want them to play.
  3. Enable Loop Playlist. OBS documents this option as on by default; verify it in the source properties.
  4. Preview the playlist and confirm that transitions and audio behave as intended before going live.

OBS documents these options in its Media Sources guide. A single file is the simpler choice for one repeating video; VLC Video is the relevant source when you need an ordered playlist.

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Make sure the bitrate is sustainable

The recommended video bitrate is not the entire bandwidth requirement: audio and stream overhead also use capacity. The stream’s total bitrate must fit within upload capacity that remains stable during the broadcast. A speed-test peak is not proof that the same upload rate will be available continuously.

  1. Before the scheduled stream, run a representative test with the same output codec, resolution, frame rate, audio, and typical video motion you intend to use.
  2. Start the test at the applicable YouTube recommendation and watch YouTube’s stream health indicators during the broadcast.
  3. If the connection cannot sustain the target, reduce the bitrate and retest rather than keeping a value that causes unstable delivery. Ensure the reduced value remains compatible with YouTube’s listed minimum for the selected codec and frame rate.
  4. Check stream health again after changing settings. A successful short test does not establish that the connection will remain stable indefinitely.

YouTube’s streaming tips and live encoder guidance advise monitoring stream health. The right setting balances the target quality with the upload capacity available for the actual broadcast.

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Do not use YouTube’s upload-file bitrate table for a live loop

YouTube publishes separate guidance for uploading a finished video file. Its recommended upload encoding settings list 10 Mbps for standard-frame-rate 1080p uploads and 15 Mbps for high-frame-rate 1080p uploads. Those figures describe uploaded files, not YouTube Live ingest. A prerecorded loop does not bypass live encoding, and YouTube’s reviewed live table does not specify a separate lower bitrate for static or low-motion footage.

Encoder choice and practical trade-offs

The table provides YouTube’s recommendations by codec, but it does not mean every computer or workflow should use a particular encoder. OBS’s hardware encoding guide explains that hardware encoders can offload CPU work to a GPU component and encode efficiently. It also cautions that earlier-generation hardware encoders can produce lower image quality at the same bitrate than software encoding with the default veryfast preset. Choose an available encoder, then test the actual stream for image quality, encoding load, and stable delivery; a specific graphics card or dedicated encoder is not established as necessary for a loop stream.

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Copyright and YouTube channel considerations

Having permission to broadcast a file does not automatically settle every YouTube policy question. Before looping music, gameplay, or other third-party material, check the rights that apply to the video and audio and review the channel’s obligations under YouTube’s current rules. Repeated or minimally changed material may also raise monetization or reused-content questions; the bitrate settings do not change those rights or policy considerations. Resolve those separately before making a loop public.

Or let it run in the cloud

If the goal is a YouTube channel that stays live around the clock, OBS requires the computer and its connection to remain available. StreamNeo is a cloud service for keeping a YouTube channel live from uploaded videos: upload a recording or build a playlist, add your YouTube stream key once, and go live. The cloud plays the upload, so nothing has to stay on at home. It streams the uploaded video as made, up to 4K 60fps, at one price per slot rather than quality tiers; it automatically recovers if YouTube drops the stream. The first day is free with no card. Monthly billing is $9.99 per month. For an always-on YouTube loop without a home PC running, start the free first day.

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