If OBS stops after the last study video, first check whether the source is a single-file Media Source or a VLC Video playlist: they use different loop controls. Then check that control in the source properties and test what happens when the file or final playlist item ends.
A loop setting only addresses playback restarting; it does not prove that the live output remains healthy, or that a scene change will not stop a hidden source. Work through the checks below in order, without assuming which source you use or what its defaults are.
Identify the OBS source type
In OBS, look at the Sources list for the scene carrying the study video. Select the source and open its properties. The type is usually apparent from its name in the source list, but confirm in the properties rather than relying on a label you or someone else gave it.
A Media Source normally points to one media file. Its loop control applies to that source’s file. A VLC Video source can contain multiple files as a playlist; its playlist loop control applies to the playlist as a whole. Both can display video in a scene, so the preview alone does not tell you which source you have.
This distinction changes the fix. If a single recording reaches its end, check the Media Source’s Loop setting. If a list of study sessions plays through and then stops, check Loop Playlist on VLC Video. Do not look for one universal OBS loop switch: the two source types have separate properties and behaviours. The OBS guide to Media Sources documents the Media Source controls and VLC Video requirements.
Also decide what “after the last video” means in your setup. You might mean one long file has finished, the final item in a playlist has finished, or the stream has changed scenes and the video no longer appears. Those are different events. Note which one you see, and whether the OBS preview still shows a moving picture, a held frame, a blank area, or a different scene.
If you are still choosing between a single recording and a repeating study session, the practical considerations in streaming the same study video 24/7 can help you decide what the source needs to do. For troubleshooting, though, first work with the source already in your scene.
Check Media Source loop settings
For a single file, select the Media Source and open its properties. Confirm that it points to the intended file, then inspect Loop. If you want that file to start again when it reaches the end, enable Loop and apply the change. OBS’s documentation describes Loop as off by default, but do not rely on that description to tell you what is selected in your installation: inspect the source itself.
A setting called Show nothing when playback ends is not a repeat control. It determines what the source displays when playback has ended; it does not make the file play again. If the picture disappears at the end, that option may affect what you see, but you still need to check Loop for the intended repeat behaviour.
After changing the property, test the source in OBS before treating the problem as fixed. If the file is lengthy, make a temporary copy or use a short test clip to observe the end transition without waiting through a full study session. Keep the original source settings in mind when making a test source, and avoid replacing or moving a file that the live scene needs.
If the source still stops, check whether you are watching the same source instance you edited. A scene may contain more than one media source, or another scene may use a separate copy of the file. Select the source visible in the active scene, confirm its file path and loop state, and repeat the end test. A source name such as “Study” is not enough to establish that it is the one appearing on stream.
Check VLC Video playlist loop settings
For a multi-file playlist, select the VLC Video source and inspect its properties. Confirm that the intended files are in the playlist and check Loop Playlist. If the goal is to start the playlist again after it reaches its end, enable this control. OBS documentation describes Loop Playlist as on by default, but settings can differ in a particular source or installation; verify what is actually selected rather than assuming a default.
Be clear about the desired behaviour. Loop Playlist means the playlist should start over after it runs out of media. It is not the same as pausing after every individual video, switching to another scene, and resuming at a scheduled time. If you want a repeating sequence, test the end of the final item. If you want a schedule between items, a playlist-wide loop may work against that plan.
VLC Video depends on VLC being installed. OBS’s documentation notes that 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. If VLC Video is missing, unavailable, or not behaving as expected, confirm that VLC is installed and that the architecture matches OBS before changing unrelated scene or output settings. Consult the OBS Media Sources documentation for the current source requirements and property descriptions.
A scene transition can also alter playback. VLC Video has a Visibility Behaviour setting, with documented choices that stop playback when the source is not visible and restart it when visible, pause while hidden and resume when visible, or keep playing while hidden. Choose the behaviour that matches your scene plan, then test a hide-and-show transition. If the problem occurs only after leaving a scene, this is a useful check; if it occurs at the end of the final playlist item while the source stays visible, focus first on Loop Playlist and the file list.
Confirm files and playlist order
A loop cannot correct a missing, inaccessible, or unintended file. For Media Source, confirm the path points to the study video you mean to play. For VLC Video, inspect the playlist entries and their order. If the expected final item is not in the list, or an entry refers to a file that has moved, the playback sequence will not match your expectation.
Use a small test playlist when you need to diagnose an end transition. Put two short, known-good files in a test VLC Video source, in a clear order, and enable the loop setting you intend to use. This lets you see whether playback advances between items and whether the final item returns to the first. Do not use a test playlist as a substitute for confirming the real playlist’s file paths and order.
Watch for two kinds of mistaken diagnosis. First, if the same video starts again after each item, that may be the intended playlist loop rather than a stuck first file. Second, if playback appears to stop on a still image, the source may have ended while OBS continues to display the last frame; a held frame is different from moving playback. Check the source properties and timing before concluding that the stream itself has stopped.
The media itself should suit the format and workflow you are using. OBS lists supported Media Source formats in its documentation, but a listed format does not establish that every file is intact or configured correctly. If one particular file fails to advance, test another known-good file in the same source type, then compare the result. Keep the original file and source configuration so you can restore them if the test does not isolate the issue.
Playlist order is also editorial order. For a study channel, you may want a short introduction followed by long sessions, or a quiet closing track before the sequence repeats. If that order matters, check it in the source rather than relying on filenames alone. For a broader look at planning a repeatable stream from a computer, see setting up an always-on YouTube music stream from a PC in India; the same habit of confirming the actual media sequence is useful for a study channel.
Test the end-of-video transition
Run a controlled test with the relevant source visible in the active scene. Start playback near the end of a short file or test playlist and observe what happens at the transition. For a Media Source, check whether the file starts again when Loop is enabled. For VLC Video, watch whether it moves from the last item back to the first when Loop Playlist is enabled.
Record the result rather than relying on memory: source type, loop control state, active scene, and what the preview showed at the end. If the source stops only when you switch scenes, repeat the test while changing scenes and inspect VLC Video’s Visibility Behaviour. If it stops while remaining visible, repeat without a scene transition. Changing one factor at a time makes it easier to identify what changed the outcome.
If you want each video to play once and then trigger a scene switch, do not configure the playlist to loop indefinitely and expect it to report that the playlist has ended. A community discussion about Advanced Scene Switcher explains that an endlessly looping VLC playlist does not reach a playlist-ended state; its suggested approach is to watch the remaining time on the current item. This is community guidance, not an official guarantee. See the Advanced Scene Switcher discussion and test any automation against your own source and OBS version.
Another OBS forum user described a schedule using Advanced Scene Switcher to switch scenes when the current item had less than one second remaining, with VLC Video set to pause when inactive and resume when active. The user also reported that the pause behaviour sometimes failed. Treat that as a workaround to test, not a dependable control: verify several transitions and confirm that the correct scene and video resume before relying on a schedule overnight. The original OBS forum thread about scheduling VLC media files gives the context.
Check stream output after the loop
A successful transition in the OBS preview is only one part of the check. Confirm that OBS is still sending the intended live output and that the picture on YouTube matches the preview. If playback repeats in OBS but the viewer-facing stream is frozen or absent, the loop setting alone has not explained the problem; check stream output and YouTube’s current live status separately.
Keep the diagnosis narrow. If the preview itself stops at the last item, return to the source type, loop property, file path, playlist order, and visibility behaviour. If the preview continues but YouTube does not show the same image, investigate the output path and stream health rather than toggling source loop settings repeatedly. This distinction helps avoid changing a working media source in response to a different problem.
A continuous broadcast depends on more than video repeating. The computer, OBS session, network connection, and live output all have to behave as intended. For example, a power interruption can stop the whole broadcast even if the file is configured to loop. The separate guide to keeping a YouTube loop running during Indian power cuts covers that different failure mode; it should not be confused with a source reaching the end of its media.
If maintaining a local OBS session through scene changes and overnight checks is the specific burden, StreamNeo can remove the need to leave your own computer running for a file-based YouTube stream: you upload the video and provide the YouTube stream key, then the broadcast runs with monitoring and automatic restart if it drops. It is YouTube-only, and you should still verify your media and channel setup rather than treating any hosting choice as proof that a particular stream will behave as intended.
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FAQ
Should I use Media Source or VLC Video?
Use Media Source when the scene needs one file, and VLC Video when it needs a playlist of multiple files. Their repeat settings are different, so identify the source already in use before changing a control.
Does OBS always loop a VLC playlist by default?
OBS documentation describes Loop Playlist as on by default, but the actual property in your source is what matters. Inspect it in the installed OBS version instead of assuming its current state.
Why does playback stop when I switch scenes?
The source’s visibility behaviour may stop or pause it while hidden, depending on the selected option. Check that property for VLC Video and test the same scene transition that triggers the problem.
Can I switch scenes when each playlist video ends?
That is a different goal from looping the whole playlist. A community workaround uses remaining-time detection with Advanced Scene Switcher, but reports of intermittent pause behaviour mean you should test it rather than depend on it without observation.