You can loop a video through OBS on a Contabo VPS if the server has a working Linux graphics and display setup—not just SSH access—and can sustain the stream you want to send. The steps below cover the Ubuntu installation route, Contabo VNC access, OBS looping, and YouTube’s ingest settings. Verify the display stack and test the stream before leaving it unattended; a VPS plan or VNC connection alone does not guarantee OBS can render reliably.
Check your VPS before installing OBS
OBS on Linux needs graphics support and an X window system or Wayland. OBS lists an OpenGL 3.3-compatible GPU as a minimum, but meeting that requirement does not guarantee a server can stream at a particular resolution or frame rate. CPU load depends on the encoder, resolution, frame rate, and scene complexity.
Contabo documents VPS plans with shared vCPU resources and remote VNC access. Those facts do not establish that a particular plan or OS image includes a desktop, compatible graphics support, or enough capacity for continuous OBS use.
- Confirm which Ubuntu version and image you will use.
- Confirm how the image provides a graphical desktop and display server; SSH alone is not a graphical environment.
- Check the available graphics and compute capacity against your intended output resolution and frame rate.
- Plan to run a representative test before relying on the VPS for an unattended stream.
OBS’s Linux requirements and caveat are documented at OBS system requirements.
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Install OBS on Ubuntu
OBS’s documented Ubuntu route uses its PPA and apt for Ubuntu 18.04 or newer. The published guide is dated 2021-08-26, so check that the repository and package instructions support the Ubuntu release on your VPS before proceeding. OBS recommends Flathub for non-Ubuntu distributions.
- Connect to your VPS. Use SSH for administration, but remember that a shell session does not by itself provide the graphical environment OBS needs.
- Follow OBS’s current Linux installation guide. Use the Ubuntu PPA and apt instructions there for a supported Ubuntu release: OBS Linux installation.
- Verify the desktop and display. Start OBS in the graphical session available on the server. If OBS cannot open or reports graphics/display errors, resolve the desktop, display-server, or graphics setup before configuring a stream.
Do not treat successful package installation as proof that OBS can encode and stream continuously on your instance.
Enable Contabo VNC access
Contabo’s VNC instructions require enabling VNC, rebooting the VPS, retrieving the current credentials, and connecting with a third-party VNC client. Follow the provider’s current steps for your account and server: Contabo VNC console access.
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- Enable VNC for the VPS in Contabo’s control panel.
- Reboot as required by Contabo’s instructions.
- Retrieve the current VNC connection details and credentials.
- Connect with a VNC client and check whether the OS image actually presents a usable desktop.
VNC is a way to access a display; it does not install a desktop environment or prove that OBS rendering is supported. If the image has no graphical stack, arrange a supported desktop/display setup before trying the OBS interface.
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Configure OBS to loop a video
Loop one file with Media Source
- Open OBS in the VPS’s graphical session and create or select a scene.
- In the Sources panel, choose + and add Media Source.
- Choose the local video file you want to play.
- Enable Loop in the Media Source properties, then confirm the source appears and plays in the preview.
Media Source’s Loop option restarts the selected file when playback ends. See OBS media sources.
Loop several files with a VLC playlist
- Install VLC on the VPS; the VLC Video source requires it.
- In OBS, add a VLC Video source to the scene.
- Add the files in the order you want them played.
- Enable Loop Playlist and verify the sequence in the preview.
Use Media Source for a single file and VLC Video when you need a repeating playlist. OBS documents both source types at OBS media sources.
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Connect OBS to YouTube Live
- In YouTube Studio, set up the live stream and select the appropriate stream key and ingest details for OBS. Keep the key private: it is a credential that allows an encoder to send to your stream.
- In OBS, open Settings > Stream and select the YouTube service. Enter or connect the stream key as prompted by your OBS version.
- Open Settings > Output and configure a constant bitrate (CBR) encoder setting. Choose a bitrate and resolution your VPS’s available upload capacity can sustain reliably.
- Set the keyframe interval to 2 seconds; YouTube says not to exceed 4 seconds.
- Use RTMPS as the routine default for a standard SDR loop. Start streaming and check the YouTube live control room’s stream health and warnings.
YouTube recommends RTMPS, CBR, and a two-second keyframe interval. Its guidance also says to test with representative audio and movement, monitor stream health, and review warnings during the event. See YouTube encoder settings for live streaming.
There is no bitrate or resolution that can be guaranteed for every Contabo instance from the plan name alone. Start with settings the server and its network can sustain, then check OBS and YouTube’s health indicators during a representative test. Do not leave the stream unattended until video, audio, and playback behavior have been checked.
When to choose HLS instead
YouTube also supports HLS as an OBS ingest option. It has higher latency than RTMP and requires selecting an HLS stream key and URL and meeting YouTube’s segment and rolling-playlist requirements. YouTube’s HLS guidance specifies segment durations between 1–4 seconds. Unless you have a reason to use HLS and can meet its setup requirements, RTMPS is the simpler default for a routine loop. Details: YouTube HLS ingest setup.
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Test before leaving the stream unattended
- Watch a full cycle of the video or playlist, including the transition when a file ends and starts again.
- Confirm the audio is present, at a suitable level, and does not stop or restart unexpectedly.
- Check OBS for rendering or encoding warnings and YouTube for stream-health warnings.
- Confirm the VPS can sustain the selected output settings during a representative run; no general plan specification guarantees continuous OBS performance.
- Protect the stream key. Do not expose it in screenshots, public notes, or logs.
YouTube explicitly advises testing before starting a live stream. If the test shows dropped frames, unstable health, or a failed loop, reduce the output demands or resolve the VPS display, encoder, or network limitation before depending on it.
Common problems and fixes
OBS installs but will not open
Likely cause: the VPS image lacks a usable graphical session, display server, or compatible graphics support. Confirm the desktop and X/Wayland setup, then check OBS’s system requirements. SSH access and package installation alone are insufficient.
VNC connects to a blank screen or no desktop
Likely cause: VNC access is available but the OS image does not provide a desktop/display stack. Follow Contabo’s enable, reboot, and credential steps, then verify the image’s graphical environment separately.
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The video plays once and stops
Likely cause: Loop is not enabled on the Media Source, or Loop Playlist is not enabled on the VLC Video source. Open that source’s properties and verify the relevant loop option.
YouTube reports poor stream health or OBS drops frames
Likely cause: the chosen bitrate, resolution, or frame rate exceeds what the VPS’s encoder or upload capacity can sustain. Test at lower output demands and monitor both OBS and YouTube rather than assuming a published VPS specification guarantees the result.
The stream does not connect
Check that OBS is pointed at the correct YouTube service and ingest mode, that the stream key is current and entered correctly, and that the selected settings match YouTube’s guidance. For HLS, verify the HLS-specific key, URL, and segment requirements; otherwise use RTMPS for a routine loop.
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