Add the fireplace clip to an OBS Media Source, open its properties, and enable Loop. OBS will play the file again when it reaches the end, but that setting only repeats playback; it cannot make mismatched final and first frames, or mismatched audio, seamless by itself.
To remove a visible jump or audible click, inspect the start and end of the actual file. If the boundary does not work, edit the loop point or export a better version, then test that revised file in OBS before using it for a long YouTube broadcast.
Add a Media Source to the OBS scene
Open OBS and select the scene in which you want the fireplace to appear. In the Sources dock, click the + button and choose Media Source. Give the source a clear name such as Fireplace loop, then confirm the new source.
A Media Source is intended for playing a local audio or video file inside a scene. The OBS Sources Guide explains how sources are added, positioned and resized. You do not need a playlist for one fireplace file, and adding extra sources will not improve the restart at the end of the clip.
If your scene already contains a background, logo or text, check the order of the sources in the dock. Sources higher in the list can cover sources below them. Place the fireplace video where it should sit in the scene, then use the preview to check that the intended part of the image is visible.
At this stage, do not judge the loop. You are only confirming that OBS can display the file in the correct scene. The repeat behaviour is controlled in the Media Source properties, while framing is controlled in the scene.
Select the local fireplace clip
In the Media Source properties, use the local file field to select the fireplace video on your computer. Choose the finished file you intend to test, rather than an earlier export that may have a different beginning or ending.
Once the file is selected, OBS should show it in the preview. If you see the picture but no sound, check whether the file contains an audio track and whether the source is muted in the Audio Mixer. If you hear sound but cannot see the image, check the source visibility and the video file itself before changing loop settings.
A fireplace recording can be visually calm without being a good loop. For example, a camera may begin with a wide flame pattern and end with a close flame pattern after a slow movement. The scene may feel natural while the file plays once, but the return to the first frame can still look like a jump.
The same applies to audio. A low fire crackle can contain a sharp transient near the final frame, while the beginning may start at a different volume or waveform position. OBS can repeat both tracks, but it does not examine them and repair that boundary.
Keep the original recording somewhere safe. If you later trim or edit the clip, export a separate loop version so you can return to the source if the revised file creates a different problem.
Enable Loop in the source properties
In the Media Source properties, turn on Loop, then apply the change. The OBS Media Sources documentation describes Loop as replaying the file after playback completes. The documented default is Off, so check the box rather than assuming a newly created source will repeat.
You may also see Restart playback when source becomes active. This is a separate control. It determines what happens when the source becomes active in the scene; it is not the same as telling OBS to replay the file whenever it reaches its end.
For a single fireplace clip, the essential settings are straightforward:
| Setting | What it controls | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Local file | Which video and audio file OBS plays | Choose a better loop point inside the file |
| Loop | Replays the file after it finishes | Match the last and first frames or audio samples |
| Restart playback when source becomes active | Starts the file again when the source is activated | Repair a discontinuity at the file boundary |
| Source transform | Position, scale and crop in the scene | Remove a pause or click during playback |
Click OK or Apply, depending on the OBS window you are using, and return to the scene preview. Let the file play through its ending rather than repeatedly seeking to the beginning. The first full restart is the point at which you can assess the actual behaviour.
Do not use a playlist source merely because you want a cleaner loop. OBS also documents a VLC Video source with Loop Playlist, but VLC must be installed for that source to appear, and 64-bit OBS requires 64-bit VLC. A playlist can be useful when you have several videos. It is not documented as a repair for a seam inside one fireplace clip.
Preview at least one complete restart
Play the source in the intended scene and watch it through one complete cycle. A short preview from the middle of the file is not enough, because it will not show the transition between the final and first frames.
Keep the OBS preview at the size you expect to use. A subtle change that is hard to notice in a small preview may be clear when the stream is viewed on a television or larger monitor. Conversely, a very small change in a static shot may be less noticeable at normal viewing size. That is an observation about the material and display, not a feature provided by OBS.
Check the scene layout while the clip is running. Use the source transform controls to fit the video to the canvas, resize it or crop it if required. Look around the edges for uncovered areas, especially if the fireplace file has a different aspect ratio from the OBS canvas. A black strip or exposed background can be mistaken for a loop gap when it is actually a framing issue.
If the clip is part of a broader channel, the same test should be made with any logo, text or ambient background that remains on screen. A source that changes visibility at the restart may create a flash even when the fireplace frames themselves are close.
For a channel built around several kinds of long-form content, you may also want to compare this simple one-file method with the approach described in software for rotating videos on a 24/7 YouTube stream. Rotation and looping solve different problems: rotation chooses what plays next, while looping repeats the current file.
Check the picture and audio boundary separately
Treat the visual and audio checks as two different tests. A file can have a tolerable visual restart but an obvious audio click, or a quiet audio transition but a sudden change in the flame pattern.
For the picture, watch the last few seconds and the first few seconds together. Look for a jump in the camera position, a sudden change in brightness, a flame that appears to move backwards, or a brief freeze before the first frame returns. A fireplace with constant movement can hide a small difference, but do not assume that every static-looking shot will loop naturally.
For the audio, listen at a sensible monitoring level and pay attention to the exact restart. Look for a click, short silence, abrupt volume change, repeated crackle or a cut-off musical phrase. If the clip includes music, the musical phrase may be the issue even when the fire ambience is continuous.
You can use headphones for this check, but also listen through the monitoring arrangement you normally use. Room speakers may reveal a different balance from headphones. The goal is not to make the sound louder; it is to hear whether the end and beginning belong together.
OBS’s Loop option does not crossfade the end into the beginning, stretch one frame to cover a gap, or repair an audio waveform. It simply starts the file again after playback completes. This distinction matters if you are planning an overnight broadcast and will not be watching the restart.
If you are building a channel around recorded material, review rights for the fireplace video and any music separately. A smooth loop does not decide whether you may use the file on YouTube. For a channel that mixes ambience with other recorded programmes, running event replays as a continuous YouTube live stream involves the same basic need to inspect transitions between one piece of media and the next.
Edit the clip when the loop point is rough
If the restart jumps or clicks, treat the boundary as an editing problem rather than an OBS setting problem. Open the source file in a video editor and review the end and beginning together. Choose a loop segment in which the composition, camera movement and brightness return naturally.
A useful first step is to mark a possible start and end point, then play that selected range repeatedly. Adobe’s official help on playing back a sequence in a continuous loop describes this kind of preview workflow. It explains how to review a selected range repeatedly; it does not promise that enabling loop playback will make an exported file seamless.
For a visual adjustment, try moving the start point away from an unusual flame burst, camera movement or lighting change. Move the end point away from a similar problem. The best pair of points may not be the absolute beginning and ending of the original recording.
For audio, listen across the proposed boundary while the range repeats. If the first sound begins sharply, you may need a short fade-in. If the final sound is cut off, a fade-out may help. A crossfade or other edit can reduce an audible step, but the exact method depends on the editor and on the source material. Review the result rather than assuming that a fade has solved it.
Be careful with a long fade over a fire recording. If the audio becomes noticeably quieter before the restart, the edit may replace a click with a pumping or hollow sound. The right result is the one that remains natural when repeated, not the one that uses the most processing.
After editing, export the revised file as a new copy. Do not replace the original until you have tested the export. Video editors can change frame timing, audio encoding or the final frame during export, so the revised file must be checked as the file that OBS will actually play.
If you need to prepare several files for a continuous station, the same discipline applies to each one. A playlist will not hide a poor transition between its items. For a music-led channel, see the practical considerations in how to run a 24/7 Tamil music radio stream on YouTube, but keep in mind that rights and transition quality remain separate questions.
Retest the revised file in OBS
Return to the Media Source properties and select the revised file. Confirm that Loop is still enabled, then apply the change. Start the source from the beginning and let it complete a full cycle in the scene.
Test the revised file in the same arrangement you plan to use for the broadcast. Keep the final canvas size, overlays and audio monitoring in place. If you test a cropped version in the editor but use a differently framed version in OBS, you may miss a visible edge or a source-activation flash.
Listen through the restart again. You are checking the exported file, the OBS decode and the scene together. If the picture is clean but the audio is not, return to the audio edit. If the audio is fine but the image jumps, revisit the chosen frames. If both seem acceptable, repeat the test after leaving the source running for longer, because an accidental source activation can restart it independently of the normal end-of-file loop.
Before using the setup for a 24/7 channel, make sure the computer will remain available for the entire broadcast. OBS is running locally in this arrangement, so the source file, application and stream connection depend on that computer continuing to operate. If you want the file and YouTube channel to continue while your own computer is switched off, StreamNeo removes that particular operational burden by taking an uploaded video and running it as a monitored YouTube stream from the cloud.
That is a different operating choice from improving the file boundary. Whether OBS or another arrangement is right for you depends on how much control you need at the desk, how often you change content and what you want to happen when the computer or connection is unavailable. For a broader comparison of local and hosted approaches, OBS versus a continuous streaming service can help you frame that decision without treating either setup as a guarantee.
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
Does OBS Loop remove a gap automatically?
No. Loop tells OBS to play the file again after it finishes. It does not match the final and first video frames, crossfade the picture, or repair a discontinuity in the audio.
Why does my fireplace jump even though Loop is enabled?
The start and end of the file may show different camera positions, brightness or flame movement. Review those boundaries in an editor, choose a more natural loop point, export a revised file and test that export again in OBS.
Should I use VLC Video instead of Media Source?
Use Media Source for one local fireplace file. VLC Video is relevant when you need a playlist and its Loop Playlist setting, but OBS documents VLC installation requirements and does not present it as a fix for a seam in one clip.
Does Restart playback when source becomes active replace Loop?
No. Restart playback when source becomes active controls what happens when the source is activated. Loop controls what happens when the file reaches its end, so they address different behaviours.