You can store a music-video library on a NAS and stream it continuously to YouTube Live by connecting a separate computer to the NAS share, then using OBS to play and loop the files. The NAS stores the videos; OBS on the computer reads and encodes them, and YouTube receives the stream over the internet. YouTube does not read the files directly from your NAS.
How the NAS-to-YouTube setup works
The practical arrangement is NAS shared folder → encoder computer running OBS → YouTube Live. Your computer needs access to the NAS over your local network and a separate, reliable internet upload connection to send the live stream to YouTube. These are two different network paths.
Synology documents accessing NAS files from a computer over SMB; OBS documents playlist playback through its VLC Video source. Together, those documented capabilities support this workflow, but they are not a reliability test of every NAS model or OBS version. See Synology’s NAS video-access instructions and OBS’s media source guide.
Prepare the music library and NAS share
- Check rights before uploading. Confirm that you have permission for each recording, composition, and video, including livestreaming, the relevant territories, and any archive you intend to keep. Buying a track or holding a general license does not automatically establish that YouTube streaming and archiving are covered.
- Create a shared folder for the cleared files. Enable the file-sharing method your encoder computer will use. Synology’s example uses SMB to open NAS files from a computer; exact menus vary by NAS brand and software version. Keep the share on your local network and use a dedicated account with only the access it needs.
- Plan storage and recovery. Estimate the size of the existing library and its expected growth, then decide how you will restore files after a drive or device failure. Capacity, redundancy, and backup needs depend on your library and recovery goals. RAID is not a substitute for a separate backup.
- Make sure the encoder can read the files reliably. The computer running OBS must remain connected to the NAS share and be able to access the playlist files throughout the broadcast. Do not assume a NAS can also encode the stream: verify the exact model and software if you plan to run an encoder on the NAS itself.
Set up a looping playlist in OBS
- Install OBS and VLC on the encoder computer. OBS’s VLC Video source is available when VLC is installed.
- Add a VLC Video source. In OBS, add a VLC Video source to the scene you will use for the broadcast, then add the music videos from the NAS share to its playlist.
- Set playlist behavior. Enable Loop Playlist so playback returns to the beginning after the final item. OBS documents looping as enabled by default and shuffle as disabled by default; check the source’s settings rather than relying on defaults. Turn on shuffle only if you want the order randomized.
- Check the whole scene. Confirm that the video displays correctly and that the audio is present at a suitable level. Test transitions between files, including the end of the final item and the return to the first.
OBS’s source documentation describes playlist and loop controls at OBS Media Sources. A playlist makes OBS the playback stage; it does not remove the need for a computer to run OBS and send the stream.
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Connect OBS to YouTube Live
- Create or select the live stream in YouTube Studio. Follow YouTube’s current encoder setup flow and locate the server URL and stream key for the stream.
- Enter the connection details in OBS. Use YouTube’s server URL and stream key in the encoder’s streaming settings. Treat the key like a password: do not show it on screen or share it publicly. If it is exposed, replace it in YouTube Studio.
- Prefer RTMPS. YouTube recommends RTMPS for encoder connections. Follow the current connection instructions in YouTube’s encoder setup guide.
- Start with a stream profile your upload can sustain. YouTube recommends constant bitrate and supports codecs including H.264. Its current H.264 guidance lists these example bitrates:
- 720p at 30 fps: 4 Mbps.
- 1080p at 30 fps: 10 Mbps.
- 1080p at 60 fps: 14 Mbps.
These are YouTube configuration recommendations, not measurements of your connection. Select a resolution and frame rate that your sustained upload can handle, with capacity left for audio and network overhead.
- Set the keyframe interval to two seconds. YouTube recommends a two-second interval and says not to exceed four seconds. Check that the encoder’s output follows the current guidance at YouTube’s encoder settings page.
Test the stream before relying on it
- Test the NAS-to-computer path: play multiple files from the share and confirm OBS continues reading them without interruptions.
- Test the computer-to-YouTube path: measure upload speed and run a preflight stream. YouTube recommends testing with audio and movement similar to the real broadcast, since a quiet or static test may not reveal problems under the actual workload.
- Watch stream health: check YouTube’s status indicators during the test and listen for dropouts, clipping, silence, or abrupt gaps when the playlist changes tracks.
- Test the loop: let the playlist reach its final item and verify that it returns to the start as intended.
Use YouTube’s current encoder settings guidance for connection and output checks. The recommended bitrates are not a guarantee that a particular internet connection will remain stable.
Plan for interruptions and YouTube archives
A 24/7 schedule needs an operations plan as well as a playlist. Decide who or what will respond if OBS stops, the computer loses access to the NAS, the local network fails, or the internet connection drops. The sources cited here do not specify a complete 24/7 restart or handoff procedure, so confirm the workflow you choose rather than assuming a stream will recover on its own.
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YouTube says streams under 12 hours are automatically archived. That guidance does not by itself establish how to manage archives or handoffs for a continuous channel. Confirm YouTube’s current handling and decide how you will manage broadcasts that run longer than 12 hours using its encoder setup information.
Copyright is a live-streaming risk, not just an upload issue
YouTube scans live streams for third-party content matches. Its copyright guidance says a placeholder may replace a stream while a match is unresolved, and unresolved matches may lead to interruption or termination. Even content you have licensed can be interrupted if the rights owner has not allowlisted your channel through Content ID. Review YouTube’s live-stream copyright guidance and ask rights holders about the permissions and allowlisting needed for your specific material. No general statement about Indian copyright can establish that a particular song, recording, or video is cleared for your channel or its archives.
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Keep the NAS, encoder, and upload connection in perspective
The NAS is a file store in this workflow, not the YouTube encoder. Running OBS on a separate computer is the supported route described here. A NAS that can serve files is not necessarily able to encode a continuous broadcast; verify model-specific processor capability, software support, and operating requirements before attempting direct encoding. Plex’s discussion of server, network, and storage constraints is background on a different workload, not a benchmark for OBS encoding to YouTube: Plex bandwidth and transcoding limits.
For an Indian music channel, the same network and rights checks apply as for any other location. Do not rely on an assumed regional upload-speed figure: test the actual connection from the place where the encoder will run.
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- Your computer and home connection do not have to stay on for the stream to continue.
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Monthly pricing is $9.99 per month. UPI and cards are available in India; card checkout is available worldwide. See StreamNeo pricing, or start your free day.
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