If you are asking how to add multiple prerecorded videos to a Restreamer playlist and have them play one after another, the documentation reviewed does not show a native workflow for that. Restreamer’s documented Multi Video feature adds separate sources that you can switch between; it does not describe ordering prerecorded files into a queue.
That distinction matters before you prepare files or change a live channel. You can use the documented source controls for switching between inputs, but do not treat them as a playlist scheduler. If sequential playback is essential, investigate a separate playback method and verify its compatibility with your Restreamer version before relying on it.
Does Restreamer document a prerecorded-file playlist?
The short answer is no, not in the current documentation reviewed for this guide. The Multi Video source guide describes adding sources and switching between them. The wizard guide documents supported input types and their setup, while the quick start explains adding a source and publishing a stream. None of these guides supplies steps for selecting several local video files, arranging their order, and scheduling playback from one file to the next.
This is a statement about what those reviewed pages document, not proof that no version, extension, or separately configured integration could ever support a related workflow. The safe interpretation is narrower: the documented Multi Video feature is not evidence of a built-in prerecorded-file playlist. A feature that puts several input sources in a bar is different from a player that consumes a sequence of files.
If you reached this page while planning an all-night devotional, lofi, study, or ambience broadcast, pause before importing a folder of videos on that assumption. First decide whether you need to pick among sources manually or need playback to advance without intervention. Those are different operating requirements, and the choice affects what you test and monitor.
What Restreamer’s multiple-video feature does
The feature is called “Multi Video source”. In the documented flow, you open the video bar, add a source using the wizard, save it, and then see that source in the bar. Sources with active signals are presented there, and the guide describes switching between sources. The feature page also describes deleting a source from that stream’s settings.
Think of each source as a distinct input, rather than a title in a playlist. One input might be a network feed, another a hardware camera, and another an internal RTMP source. The operator chooses which active source to use; the documentation does not describe a timed handover when one prerecorded video reaches its end. Nor does it describe a playlist order, repeat mode, file duration handling, or transition behavior.
That makes the feature useful for a different kind of broadcast. A small community channel might switch between a live camera and a remote feed. A business might choose between a camera input and another contribution source. In those situations, having multiple configured sources in reach can reduce the steps needed to change the active input.
For a fully prerecorded channel, the distinction is practical. If your plan is “play the morning programme, then the bhajans, then the evening message”, a source switch interface does not by itself provide the sequence or automation in that sentence. You would still need a playback system that knows what comes next and how to hand off at the right time.
Add and configure separate video sources
If you do want multiple separate inputs, follow the documented source workflow rather than trying to make it behave as a file queue. Open the video bar and add a source through the wizard. The wizard describes configuring a source, saving it, and making it available in the bar. Its options include network and hardware inputs, internal RTMP, USB devices, Raspberry Pi camera, and SRT. The exact fields depend on the source type you choose.
For a network source, the wizard describes entering a network address for a supported protocol and selecting video and audio settings. For a hardware input, you select the relevant device and configure the available options. This is source configuration: it tells Restreamer where an input is coming from and how to handle its signals. It is not a procedure for browsing to several local video files and assigning each a playback position.
Give each source a useful label if the interface allows it, and record what it represents in your operating notes. “Main camera” and “Remote contribution” are more actionable at 02:00 than “Source 1” and “Source 2”. Keep a note of which one is expected to be active, who is allowed to switch, and what you should see when the source signal disappears.
Before changing a live channel, add and test a source when you can tolerate an interruption. Check that its signal appears as expected and that the picture and sound are right. A source listed in the interface is not the same thing as a confirmed, usable signal. For example, if a camera is visible but has no audio, the source may be present while the programme is still unsuitable to publish.
The Restreamer quick start is a useful companion if you have not yet set up a source or published a stream. It covers the broader path from installation to source and player, rather than a multi-file playlist. If your end goal is a continuous YouTube channel, also consider the operational question of what should happen when a source or playback process stops; the guide to keeping a YouTube playlist running while your home computer is off discusses that broader continuity problem.
Switch between active sources
Once separate sources are configured, the documented feature is about choosing between them. Open the video bar, identify the source you want, and switch to it using the available controls. The official feature page describes the bar as the place where active signals appear and the source can be selected. Treat the switch as an operator action, not an automatic playlist transition.
A sensible test is to rehearse with two inputs before you depend on the change during a broadcast. Confirm that both can provide a signal, establish which source is currently active, switch to the other, and observe both picture and sound. Note whether the change is immediate in your setup and whether the outgoing input’s audio behaves as you expect. The documentation does not promise a particular transition style, so do not assume a dissolve, gapless cut, or automatic audio mix.
For a local news loop, for instance, you might want to move from a prepared segment to a live camera when an event occurs. That is a human decision between inputs. If you need a prepared segment to run for a fixed period and then automatically yield to the next segment, you are describing sequencing and timing, not merely source selection.
Make the operating procedure visible to anyone who may take over. A short note can say which source is the planned default, what to switch to if it fails, and how to verify the active picture and sound. If the channel is unattended overnight, manual switching is not a substitute for a verified sequence or recovery arrangement. The OBS settings guide for a 24/7 ambient music stream is relevant if you are assessing a different playback and broadcast setup, but it does not change what Restreamer’s documented Multi Video feature does.
Why source switching is not sequential playback
A playlist has at least three behaviours that a source bar does not establish: it holds a collection of items, it decides their order, and it advances from one item to the next according to a rule. Depending on the use, that rule could be “after the current file ends”, “at a scheduled time”, or “repeat this set”. A source-switching feature instead presents independent inputs and lets the operator select among them.
The difference becomes more important when a channel is meant to run unattended. If a file ends during the night, a playlist system needs to know whether to move on, replay, stop, or display a slate. A multi-source interface, on the evidence reviewed, says nothing about that end-of-file decision. It also does not define what happens if one input goes away or whether another should take over automatically.
These are not small naming details. If you expect a playlist and configure separate sources instead, you may find that a person must remain available to make the changes. If you expect automatic sequencing but test only that sources can be added, your rehearsal has not tested the central requirement. Write down the exact desired behaviour in plain language before choosing a system.
For example: “At 06:00, begin the first file; after it finishes, play the second; after the last, return to the first; if playback fails, notify the operator.” That requirement gives you concrete questions to test with whichever tool you investigate. A statement such as “support multiple videos” is too vague: it could mean sources, playlist items, simultaneous inputs, or a manual switch.
What the reviewed docs say about file playlists
The wizard’s documented source choices include network sources and hardware inputs such as USB and Raspberry Pi camera, alongside internal RTMP and SRT. It describes choosing and configuring an input; the reviewed page does not describe a local-file playlist path. The current quick start presents source setup and publishing steps, not instructions for sequencing prerecorded files. Read those pages according to their scope rather than inferring a playlist feature from the word “video”.
There is also older Restreamer documentation for version 0.6.x, but it is explicitly marked deprecated. It discusses multiple inputs as separate streams or instances. That historical description is not evidence that a current release has a native sequential playlist workflow. If you are maintaining an older installation, use documentation that matches that release and confirm its status before basing a new channel on it.
The official Restreamer project on GitHub is another starting point for checking project information and documentation links. It is not, by itself, confirmation that a specific playlist integration is supported. For any capability that is central to your broadcast, look for an explicit current-version procedure or ask through the project’s supported channels, then test it with the same release and publishing path you plan to use.
Options to investigate outside the documented workflow
If you need sequential playback, investigate a playback tool or a separately configured integration that can produce a continuous output for your publishing path. This is an investigation, not a Restreamer procedure established by the documentation reviewed here. In particular, an FFmpeg playlist may be technically conceivable, but the reviewed official pages do not confirm it as a supported, integrated Restreamer workflow. Do not rely on an unverified command, menu path, or online example without checking the exact release and how it connects to your output.
When evaluating an alternative, ask the vendor or maintainer precise questions. Can it advance automatically at end of file? Can it repeat an ordered set? What happens when one file is unreadable or ends unexpectedly? Does it keep audio and video in sync across files? Can it publish to the destination you need, and who restarts it if the process stops? Ask for a documented procedure for your version rather than accepting “playlist support” without detail.
Test away from the channel you depend on. Use copies of the files, the same encoding and publishing destination where practical, and enough runtime to observe more than the opening seconds. Check the hand-off between files, sound continuity, and what the viewer sees at a file boundary. Also test what happens after a disconnect or restart: does playback resume at the current item, restart the set, or require an operator? Do not assume any of those behaviours without observing them.
If your real goal is simply to rotate a collection for a 24/7 YouTube stream, compare the whole operating model, not only the playlist control. A computer-based encoder can give you control over media order but depends on a maintained machine, connection, and recovery process. A hosted playback approach may remove the need to leave your own computer running; StreamNeo is relevant to that specific pain because it runs an uploaded video as a continuous YouTube live stream without requiring your computer to stay switched on. It is YouTube-only, so it is not the answer if your required output is elsewhere, and you should confirm that its file model fits your intended sequence before choosing it.
For a devotional channel, that means checking whether one prepared long-form programme is sufficient or whether you truly need individual items to advance in a particular order. For lofi, you may care about avoiding a conspicuous repeated segment; the guide to looping a 24/7 YouTube lofi stream without repeating the same songs too often explores that content-planning issue. The playback system still needs to be tested separately for the sequence, loop, and recovery behaviour you require.
There is no documented product comparison to make for this exact Restreamer workflow based on the reviewed pages. You can compare candidates yourself against the requirements below, but do not read the table as a rating of named products or as confirmation that Restreamer provides the behaviour.
| Requirement to verify | What to ask or test | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Source selection | Can you switch between independent inputs? | Useful for manual changes between feeds, but not proof of sequencing. |
| File order | Can you arrange prerecorded items in a defined order? | Needed when one programme must follow another predictably. |
| Advancement | Does playback move on at file end, on a schedule, or only after an operator action? | Clarifies whether the channel can run unattended. |
| Repeat behaviour | What happens after the final item? | A 24/7 channel needs an intentional end-of-set outcome. |
| Failure handling | What happens if a file or input fails? | Reveals whether an operator must intervene and how viewers are affected. |
| Publishing path | Can the output reach the destination and format you use? | A player feature is not useful if it cannot feed your live channel. |
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FAQ
Can I add several prerecorded files to the Restreamer video bar?
The reviewed documentation describes adding separate sources through the wizard, not adding several local files as playlist entries. It does not provide a file-queue workflow. Check the documentation for your exact release if you believe a newer or separately installed component changes that behaviour.
Can Restreamer automatically play the next file when one ends?
The reviewed Multi Video, wizard, and quick-start pages do not document automatic next-file playback. Source switching and end-of-file sequencing are different functions. Do not plan an unattended channel around automatic advancement unless you have verified it in a documented, version-matched setup.
Is an FFmpeg playlist an officially supported Restreamer workflow?
The sources reviewed do not establish that it is an integrated or officially supported procedure. It may be possible to build an external arrangement, but that needs separate, version-specific confirmation and testing. Avoid treating an online command or example as an official Restreamer menu path.
What should I use if I need a 24/7 sequence?
Start by writing down the order, repeat rule, file-boundary behaviour, publishing destination, and recovery expectation you need. Then evaluate a playback approach that documents those behaviours and test it away from your live channel before relying on it overnight. Restreamer’s documented multiple-source feature alone does not answer those playlist requirements.