For looping a Gurbani video to YouTube Live from Linux, OBS Studio is the clearest fit: use its Media Source for one file, or its VLC Video source for a playlist. The playback source handles the repeat; OBS sends the encoded live programme to YouTube.
There is no single monthly data figure for viewers. A useful estimate starts with the sustained playback bitrate they receive, not the encoder setting alone, because YouTube transcodes live streams and viewer playback rates can differ.
Choose the loop that matches your files
If you have one local video, add it to an OBS scene as a Media Source and enable Loop. OBS documents this as the single-file route. For several files that should play in a set order, use the VLC Video source, add the videos as a playlist and enable Loop Playlist. These are documented features, not claims of comparative performance testing. See OBS’s Media Sources guide for the source options and settings.
| Your material | OBS source | What to enable | Additional requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| One continuous video | Media Source | Loop | None specific to the source |
| A sequence of local videos | VLC Video | Loop Playlist | Install VLC and match its architecture to OBS |
For a single prayer, kirtan or shabad recording presented as one video, Media Source avoids adding a separate VLC dependency. If you need a morning-to-evening sequence of distinct recordings, VLC Video provides the playlist route. A useful comparison is the choice between a simple repeating file and a planned rotation; it is not a reason to assume one source will run more reliably on every computer.
The OBS project lists VLC Video for Linux, but says VLC must be installed for that source to appear. A 64-bit OBS installation requires 64-bit VLC. That matters when a user follows a distribution package guide and later cannot find the source: check both installation and architecture before rebuilding the scene.
Install OBS and prepare the scene
Install a supported OBS build for your distribution. OBS’s Linux installation guidance lists Flatpak and Ubuntu builds as officially supported and recommends Flatpak for distributions other than Ubuntu. The same guidance specifies OpenGL 3.3 or later. Distribution-maintained packages may work, but their maintenance belongs to the distribution community rather than OBS. Check the OBS installation instructions against your own Linux version before committing to a setup.
Create a scene, add the correct source, and select the local Gurbani video or playlist. Confirm that the source is visible in the active scene and that its audio meter moves when the clip plays. If the picture is cropped or smaller than expected, adjust the source in the preview before going live. A loop only solves repetition; it does not ensure that the source is framed or mixed as you intend.
Listen across a loop boundary. A file can restart visually while an abrupt edit, silence, or change in loudness remains audible. For a playlist, check the transition between each adjacent pair, not just the first video. This is especially useful for devotional programming, where a long unattended gap or sudden level change can be more noticeable than a minor framing issue.
A looping source also is not the same thing as a continuous broadcast. OBS must remain open, the computer must stay powered and connected, and the outgoing stream must remain healthy. A laptop that suspends overnight or a home connection that drops can interrupt the live stream even when the local file loops correctly.
Connect OBS to YouTube Live
YouTube’s live-streaming eligibility guidance says the channel must be verified and must not have had live-streaming restrictions in the previous 90 days. Once eligible, use YouTube Live Control Room to create or select a stream and copy its server URL and stream key into OBS. Follow YouTube’s encoder setup instructions for the current workflow. Treat the stream key like a password: do not publish it or leave it visible in a recording or screenshot.
Use RTMPS where available. YouTube’s encoder guidance covers H.264, up to 60 fps, CBR, AAC or MP3 audio and a recommended two-second keyframe interval that should not exceed four seconds. Its bitrate recommendations vary with output resolution, frame rate and codec, so choose settings for the actual programme and test them rather than copying a number without context. For a largely static devotional video, you may not need the same motion settings as fast sports footage, but the encoder still has to deliver a stable signal at the selected output.
Measure the upload connection that will actually carry the stream, preferably at the time and place you expect to broadcast. YouTube recommends leaving 20% headroom above the total stream bitrate. If the stream needs more upload bandwidth than is reliably available, reduce output settings or use a better connection; download speed does not establish upload capacity. The bitrate and frame-rate guidance for a 1080p live stream explains why resolution and motion affect an encoder choice.
Before the first public broadcast, test with audio and movement similar to the planned programme. Watch OBS’s connection status and YouTube’s stream health messages. For a video loop, let the test run through a repeat boundary and listen for audio continuity. YouTube warns that a connectivity disruption can break a stream, so a successful preview at the beginning is not enough evidence that the full overnight session will hold.
Why there is no exact monthly viewer figure
A channel owner can choose the outgoing encoder settings, but that does not make every viewer consume data at exactly that rate. YouTube processes live video into playback versions, and a viewer may watch at a different quality depending on device, connection, player choice and the versions available. A viewer selecting a lower playback quality can use less data than a viewer watching a higher one; pauses, buffering and time spent watching also change the total.
This is why a monthly estimate should be stated as a scenario rather than a promise about a particular Gurbani stream. The examples below assume uninterrupted playback at a sustained rate for every hour of a 30-day month. They are arithmetic illustrations, not measured bhajan-stream usage. They do not claim that a creator’s encoder setting determines each viewer’s data rate.
There are other variables too. Audio contributes to the stream, while the displayed playback bitrate may represent the combined audio and video rate. Live processing and player behaviour can vary, so the figure shown during one viewing session may not persist for a whole month. A household that watches a few hours each evening should scale the full-month scenario to its actual viewing time.
Calculate 30-day usage from sustained bitrate
Use this calculation for a simple estimate:
Monthly GB ≈ playback bitrate in Mbps × 1,000,000 bits/second × 2,592,000 seconds ÷ 8 ÷ 1,000,000,000
The 2,592,000 seconds represent 30 days of continuous playback. Dividing by eight converts bits to bytes; dividing by one billion expresses bytes as decimal gigabytes. With those units, the calculation is approximately 324 GB per month for each sustained 1 Mbps. This is a rounded decimal-GB estimate, not a claim about what a service provider may label as a gigabyte or about any particular viewer’s use.
The formula is deliberately based on sustained playback bitrate. If a player’s statistics indicate that a viewer is receiving about 1 Mbps for the period being considered, use 1 Mbps in the formula. If the rate fluctuates, an average over representative viewing is more useful than a single momentary reading. If all you know is the channel’s encoder setting, you have a starting point for understanding the programme, not a precise value to put into every viewer’s monthly estimate.
For a household or community centre, multiply the result for one viewing device by the number of devices only if they are independently receiving the stream at roughly the same rate and duration. A shared Wi-Fi connection carries the combined traffic, but a person’s mobile plan may account for only that phone’s playback. Keep the distinction between an individual viewer estimate and a location’s total use clear.
Example: a sustained 1 Mbps viewer rate
At a sustained 1 Mbps, the 30-day calculation gives approximately 324 GB for uninterrupted viewing. That is a useful scale for a viewer who leaves a stream playing around the clock; it is not a prediction for someone who watches only part of the day. To estimate a shorter routine, multiply 324 GB by the fraction of each day watched. For example, six hours out of a 24-hour day is one quarter of continuous daily viewing, so the monthly estimate is roughly one quarter of the full-time scenario.
The arithmetic can be written another way: 1 Mbps is 0.125 megabytes per second, or about 450 megabytes per hour using decimal units. Across 24 hours, that is about 10.8 decimal GB, and across 30 days it is about 324 GB. Small differences can arise from rounding and unit conventions, so avoid presenting the result as a billing guarantee.
This estimate assumes the playback rate remains at 1 Mbps throughout. Actual viewing may use less because the viewer chooses a lower resolution, watches for fewer hours or pauses playback. It may use more if the sustained rate is higher. The 24/7 pranayama streaming guide is also useful when separating the creator’s continuous broadcast schedule from the hours that any one person actually watches.
Compare 2 Mbps and 3 Mbps scenarios
The same formula scales linearly. If sustained playback doubles, the calculated transfer doubles; if it triples, the transfer triples. The table compares continuous 30-day scenarios. These are calculated examples only and are not measured usage for Gurbani, bhajan or any other type of stream.
| Sustained playback rate | Approximate data per hour | Approximate data for 30 days, continuous playback |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Mbps | 0.45 GB | 324 GB |
| 2 Mbps | 0.9 GB | 648 GB |
| 3 Mbps | 1.35 GB | 972 GB |
The rate shown is the viewer’s assumed sustained playback bitrate, not a universal YouTube setting. A person watching a 3 Mbps version for four hours daily would use substantially less over a month than the table’s continuous-playback scenario. For a rough estimate, multiply that scenario’s 30-day total by the proportion of time watched: four hours daily is one sixth of a full day, so one sixth of the 30-day continuous figure is the illustrative monthly amount.
Keep the output side separate from the viewer side. The channel’s upload capacity is about sending the chosen broadcast reliably to YouTube; a viewer’s data use is about receiving the playback version they watch. A creator lowering their encoder bitrate may affect source quality and YouTube’s processing options, but it does not establish the exact received bitrate for every viewer. Do not use the table to promise a mobile-data cost: plans, billing units and playback behaviour differ.
How YouTube transcoding changes playback
YouTube transcodes live streams into playback options. That means one outgoing stream can become different viewing choices rather than a single identical data rate for every audience member. The selected resolution, device, connection conditions and available playback versions all contribute to what a viewer receives. This is why a channel’s OBS bitrate and a viewer’s sustained playback rate are related to the programme but should not be treated as interchangeable measurements.
For a viewer, the most useful practical check is the player’s current quality and playback statistics, where available. If someone needs a data estimate for a capped mobile plan, they should observe a representative session at the quality they normally use, then use that sustained rate in the formula. A brief spike or one screen’s estimate should not be generalised to all viewers, devices or the entire month.
For the broadcaster, the priority is to send an output that YouTube can accept consistently while retaining enough upload headroom. YouTube’s published encoder ranges help select an output, while its streaming tips advise monitoring connection health. The viewer-data calculation is a separate planning aid. If the intended audience includes people on limited mobile data, explain that playback quality controls and viewing duration influence use rather than giving one channel-wide monthly figure.
Measure a playback rate or state your assumptions
If you need a practical estimate, watch the live stream in the kind of player and network your audience is likely to use. Note the selected quality and, if playback statistics expose a bitrate, record it over a representative period rather than relying on one instant. Repeat the check under another typical connection or quality choice if your audience includes both mobile and fixed connections. You are not trying to establish a universal number; you are making the assumptions visible.
Where no bitrate is exposed, use the displayed resolution only as a description, not as a direct substitute for Mbps. Two playback sessions at the same resolution can have different sustained rates because video encoding and content vary. For an estimate, state a plausible assumed rate, apply the formula and identify the result as an illustrative scenario. Avoid calling it measured usage unless you actually measured data transfer over a defined viewing period.
For example, a channel might say: “At an assumed sustained viewer rate of 2 Mbps, uninterrupted viewing for 30 days would be about 648 GB, using decimal gigabytes. Actual use varies with playback quality and viewing time.” That statement tells the reader what was calculated and what it does not establish. It does not imply the channel measured 2 Mbps for its audience or that OBS’s encoder produced the same rate at every screen.
You can also give a daily estimate for people who watch only at set times. Multiply the hourly estimate by hours watched each day and then by the number of days watched. Keep this separate from the channel’s broadcast duration: a 24/7 stream can have viewers who tune in briefly, and one person’s all-day viewing does not represent the audience as a whole.
Keep the broadcast itself dependable
A correct loop and a sensible bitrate do not remove the need to monitor a long broadcast. Check the computer’s power settings so it does not sleep, confirm the network remains connected, and ensure OBS is not hidden behind a system update or a desktop session that logs out. If the computer is in a home or small office, consider what happens after a power interruption and how you will notice if the broadcast stops.
StreamNeo addresses a different part of that unattended-running problem: when you do not want a local Linux computer to remain on through the night, it can take an uploaded video and keep the YouTube broadcast running while your computer is switched off. That does not choose the right file, settle playback data use, or determine permissions for the recording; it removes the need to leave your own machine running for that loop.
If you prefer to keep the broadcast on your own machine, OBS is the practical choice because its documented Linux sources directly cover both one-file looping and playlist looping. If you are weighing local operation against a hosted approach, the comparison of continuous YouTube services and a VPS describes trade-offs without changing the central point: test the route you intend to rely on. Check the stream after it starts, and revisit it after any change to the file, connection or system.
Also check the rights for the exact performance, recording and video. The fact that the words are Gurbani does not establish that a particular recording is cleared for rebroadcast. YouTube’s livestream terms place responsibility on the provider for necessary rights, including applicable music licensing rights. Read the current YouTube livestream terms and check permissions for the specific material and relevant territory; no software setting can answer that question for you.
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FAQ
Which Linux software should I use to loop one Gurbani video?
Use OBS Studio and add the local file as a Media Source, then enable Loop. It is the documented single-file route and does not require VLC for that source. Test audio at the point where the file restarts before leaving the broadcast unattended.
How do I loop a playlist of Gurbani videos in OBS?
Use the VLC Video source, add the files as a playlist and enable Loop Playlist. VLC must be installed, and its architecture should match OBS; a 64-bit OBS build needs 64-bit VLC. Confirm the playlist plays in the intended order in the active scene.
Does a 2 Mbps OBS bitrate mean every viewer uses 2 Mbps?
No. YouTube transcodes live streams, and viewer playback quality and sustained rate can vary. The 2 Mbps table entry is a calculation for an assumed viewer rate, not a measurement of every viewer or a guarantee derived from the creator’s encoder setting.
How can I estimate my own monthly viewing data?
Use a representative sustained playback bitrate if you can observe one, multiply by 324 GB per Mbps for a 30-day continuous-viewing scenario, then scale down for the hours you actually watch. State the assumed rate and duration. If the rate is unknown, present the result as an example rather than measured usage.