If an OBS Media Source restarts before a cartoon episode finishes, first check the source’s Restart playback when source becomes active setting and note exactly when the restart occurs. That setting controls what happens when the source becomes active; it is not the same as the episode reaching its end or OBS switching scenes.
Do not change several properties at once. A restart after a scene change, a repeat after the final frame, and a brief visual flash can look similar on stream but point to different behaviours. Check the source, its visibility and the scene transitions before deciding what to change.
Confirm when the restart happens
Start by recording the time in the episode when playback jumps back to the beginning. Note whether the source was visible continuously, whether you changed scenes, whether someone clicked its eye icon, and whether the jump happened at the very end. This timeline is more useful than a general description such as “it keeps restarting”.
A restart shortly after a source is shown or a scene is selected suggests an activation event. A repeat immediately after the final frame suggests that the file may be looping. If the episode continues on a different scene while the original scene is hidden, the next question is whether its source was made active again when you returned.
Distinguish a full restart from a transition artefact. For example, the last frame may flash briefly as a source is hidden and shown, before playback begins again. That can be startling in a cartoon stream, but it is different from the episode repeatedly jumping to the start while the source stays visible. Observe whether the audio also returns to the beginning and whether the playback position clearly resets.
For a clean test, use a short copy of the same kind of file and watch OBS’s preview, rather than changing a live broadcast that viewers are watching. Write down the source name, scene name, playback position, and any action just before the jump. If the restart cannot be reproduced predictably, do not assume a property is responsible; gather the details and test the source in isolation.
Check the activation setting first
In the OBS scene containing the cartoon, open the Media Source properties. Find Restart playback when source becomes active. OBS describes this option as restarting the file once the source is in the current scene and visible. See the OBS Media Sources guide for the current descriptions of the Media Source properties.
Choose the setting according to what you want. If showing the source should always begin the episode from the first frame, enable it. If the episode should carry on while its source is inactive, leaving it unchecked is the behaviour community guidance recommends; test that on your installed OBS version rather than treating it as a guarantee for every setup. The OBS forum discussion of the activation setting is useful background, but it is not a substitute for observing your own scene.
This property can explain a restart associated with becoming active again. It does not, by itself, prove why your source became active, nor does it explain every mid-episode jump. If the jump happens while the source remains visibly active and no scene or visibility action occurs, keep investigating rather than assuming this checkbox is the complete fix.
Before changing it, note its original state. Change only this property for the first controlled test, then repeat the same show, hide, or scene-switch action that previously preceded the restart. If the timing changes, you have evidence about activation behaviour. If it does not, restore the original state and move on to the file, scene, or automation checks.
Check whether the source becomes active again
OBS ties activation to a Media Source being in the current scene and visible. A scene switch can therefore matter even when you do not directly touch the source: moving away from the scene and back may change whether that source is active. Hiding and showing it with the eye icon can have the same diagnostic significance. The key is to find out whether either event coincides with the playback jump.
Watch the scene list during a test. Look for manual scene changes, source visibility toggles, and transitions that briefly move to a scene without the cartoon. If you use hotkeys, a Stream Deck, a scene switcher, or another control, check whether it is issuing an unexpected visibility or scene command. Do not remove automation on guesswork; temporarily disable one action at a time in a test scene and see whether the event still occurs.
A scene can also contain more than one copy of a media source. Check for duplicate sources with similar names, nested scenes, or a second cartoon source that becomes visible during a transition. What looks like one source restarting may be one copy disappearing while another begins at its first frame. Rename copies clearly in a test setup so you can identify which one is active.
Keep a simple event log: “episode at 08:12; switched to holding scene; returned; episode at 00:00”. Include whether the media source remained visible and whether the audio changed. This helps distinguish activation from a playback or file problem, and it is useful if you later ask for help. If your broader workflow uses a recorded playlist, this guide to using a YouTube Live stream key with OBS for a recorded video playlist covers the surrounding broadcast setup, rather than diagnosing this specific property.
Review the media source and scene setup
Confirm that the Media Source points to the intended episode file. If you recently moved, replaced, or renamed a file, open the properties and verify the path. A wrong or unavailable file is not the same as an activation restart, but checking it eliminates a basic source mismatch before you attribute the symptom to OBS behaviour.
Next, check Loop. OBS says this repeats the media after playback completes and that it is off by default. If the cartoon should play once and stop, leave Loop off. Looping can explain another playback after the episode reaches its end; the official description does not say that it causes an early restart, so do not treat it as an explanation for a jump halfway through an episode.
Consider Close file when inactive separately. OBS describes it as unloading the media file when the source is hidden or off the current scene, and warns that the source may take a short time to appear again when shown. This is a resource-related option, not a documented general cure for mid-episode restarts. If it is enabled, account for a reload delay in your test, but do not assume that turning it off will correct an unexplained jump.
For a one-time episode that should disappear after it finishes, Show nothing when playback ends is a separate choice. OBS documents that it hides the source on completion. It is not documented as preventing interruptions before completion. Keep the end-of-playback behaviour aligned with your scene plan: decide what viewers should see after the final frame, and test that outcome without confusing it with a mid-episode restart.
Finally, check that the scene arrangement is intentional. A source can exist in several scenes, and an operator may be selecting a scene that contains a separate instance. You can create a small test scene with just the cartoon source, then compare its properties with the live scene. Avoid deleting a source or replacing the file until you have noted its settings and confirmed the test reproduces the same behaviour.
Test playback through a full episode
A convincing test runs past the point where the problem usually occurs and, when practical, through the episode’s end. Use the same file and source properties, but perform the test in a private or non-public setup if a live audience could be disrupted. Keep a written record of what you changed, so a failed test can be reversed.
Begin with the source visible and leave it alone. If it plays through the suspect timestamp without a jump, repeat with the exact scene or visibility action that previously preceded the fault. If it restarts only after that action, test the activation checkbox in both states, changing nothing else. If it restarts without any apparent activation, note that distinction and do not present the checkbox as a proven fix.
Then test end behaviour. With Loop off, observe what happens after the last frame. If you enable Show nothing when playback ends, verify that the source hides only at completion. Do not use an end-of-file test to infer what happens during a scene change several minutes earlier; those are separate conditions.
If the issue appears only when toggling visibility just as the episode finishes, try a repeat with a pause before toggling. A report concerning OBS 30.2.0 described a rapid toggle near playback completion that did not restart as expected; it is a version-specific report, not evidence that a pause is required generally. The OBS Studio issue report gives context for that narrow edge case. Do not generalise it to a mid-episode failure or to all versions.
If a full test still fails, record the OBS version, operating system, whether the media is local or network-based, the complete Media Source properties, scene and visibility actions, and the exact playback time of the jump. Include whether audio restarts and whether the source was hidden. These details allow someone to reproduce the sequence, whereas “OBS restarted my cartoon” leaves the likely triggers unresolved.
Choose the intended start-versus-resume behaviour
The right configuration depends on what viewers should see when you return to a scene. A scheduled cartoon block may be expected to begin at the start each time it is brought on screen. A continuous channel may instead need a scene change that does not send an episode back to its first frame. Make that choice explicit before changing the activation property.
| Desired behaviour | Relevant choice | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Start the episode from the beginning whenever shown | Enable Restart playback when source becomes active | Test a hide/show and a switch away and back |
| Continue rather than deliberately restarting when inactive | Leave the restart option unchecked, then verify on your OBS version | Test whether playback continues after hiding or leaving the scene |
| Repeat the file after it finishes | Enable Loop | Confirm that the repeat occurs at the end, not during the episode |
| Hide the source when the episode completes | Consider Show nothing when playback ends | Confirm what the scene displays after the final frame |
Do not equate “continue while inactive” with a promise that OBS will resume at the exact prior position in every setup. The available official property descriptions do not establish exact-position resumption for all source types and versions. Test the chosen behaviour using the same scene structure and file you intend to broadcast, and retain a fallback scene if returning to the episode at its exact point is essential.
If you need playlist handling or more visibility controls, OBS also documents a VLC Video source with playlist support; VLC must be installed. That is a different workflow, not a demonstrated remedy for an unexplained restart. Compare it only if a playlist better matches your schedule. For a broader, always-on workflow involving pre-recorded material, see how to run a 24/7 YouTube live stream with Restream and pre-recorded videos. If your channel has several scheduled programmes rather than one episode, planning separate YouTube playlists for multiple stream keys in OBS may help with the larger scene and playlist plan, but it does not replace this source-level test.
If the recurring problem is that a home computer must remain switched on for an always-on broadcast, that is a separate operational concern from an OBS Media Source restarting. StreamNeo addresses that specific burden by letting you upload a video and run it as a YouTube live stream without keeping your own computer on; it will not diagnose an OBS source in your local scene. Keep the playback troubleshooting and the decision about where a channel runs as two separate decisions.
Before committing, compare the operating options on the pricing page. When the file and channel are ready, start free — 24-hour trial, no card.
FAQ
Why does a cartoon start from the beginning when I switch back to its scene?
Returning to a scene can make its Media Source active and visible again. Check Restart playback when source becomes active, then test the same scene change; the result depends on the setting and the source behaviour in your installed version.
Does Loop cause an episode to restart before it ends?
OBS documents Loop as repeating the file after playback completes, so it explains a repeat at the end rather than an early jump. If playback resets mid-episode, check activation, visibility, duplicate sources, and automation as well.
Should I enable Close file when inactive to stop restarts?
That setting unloads a media file while it is hidden or off the current scene, and OBS warns that it may take a short time to show again. It is not documented as a general fix for an early restart, so treat it as a resource choice and test its reload effect.
Can OBS always resume the episode at exactly the previous frame?
Do not assume that it can in every setup. Leaving the restart option unchecked is a community-recommended way to pursue continuation while inactive, but verify the behaviour with your version, source and scene arrangement before relying on it.