The repeat setting belongs in OBS, not in Switchboard Live. You add the prerecorded file as an OBS Media Source, enable its loop option, send the encoder feed to Switchboard, and then start the YouTube destination after the incoming video is confirmed.
This arrangement matters because each part has a different job. OBS plays the local file and encodes it, Switchboard relays the incoming RTMP feed and manages the destination, and YouTube receives and publishes the live broadcast. Switchboard does not store the file or play it on your behalf.
Understand where the repeat setting lives
A common mistake is to look for a repeat or playlist control inside Switchboard. The repeat instruction is configured in the encoder. In this guide, the encoder is OBS Studio, which reads the video file from your computer and keeps sending the resulting live feed.
Switchboard’s OBS connection guide describes the workflow as an OBS feed sent to a Switchboard workflow. Its FAQ also explains that prerecorded video requires an encoder capable of playing the file, and that Switchboard currently supports RTMP ingest. The practical boundary is therefore simple:
| Part of the workflow | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| OBS Media Source | Opens the local video file and plays it | Does not publish directly to YouTube unless configured to do so |
| OBS loop option | Tells the Media Source to repeat the file | Does not guarantee that the live connection will stay up |
| Switchboard workflow | Receives the encoder feed and relays it to a destination | Does not store or loop the prerecorded file |
| YouTube destination | Receives and publishes the live broadcast | Does not control the repeat setting in OBS |
This separation also explains why a local file does not need a capture card. A capture device is relevant when you are bringing in an external HDMI source, such as a camera or another computer. For a file already on the computer running OBS, a Media Source is the direct route.
If your aim is a devotional or bhajan channel, the same principle applies whether the file contains one long programme, several edited songs, or a visual background with audio. For broader planning, see this guide to looping church bhajans and worship videos on YouTube Live. The playback decision remains in the encoder in both cases.
Prepare YouTube before opening OBS
First make sure the channel is permitted to live stream. Switchboard’s YouTube activation guidance says that channel activation can involve phone verification and may take up to 24 hours. That is vendor guidance rather than a promise about the current YouTube process, so check the current YouTube Help instructions for live streaming in YouTube Studio before planning an overnight broadcast.
If access is still pending, do not use the OBS and Switchboard steps as a substitute for activation. The encoder may be working correctly while YouTube still refuses to accept or publish the destination. This is the situation covered in YouTube Live streaming access is pending after channel verification.
Next decide whether you are using a regular live destination or a scheduled YouTube event. A regular destination is usually the simpler test: you send the feed to Switchboard, confirm that it is receiving video, and start the destination. A scheduled event may involve event-specific stream details and separate actions in YouTube Live Control Room.
Switchboard’s scheduled-event documentation describes creating the event, adding its stream URL and key as a custom RTMP destination, and coordinating the encoder with YouTube Live Control Room. Because interfaces and supported event workflows can change, check the current Switchboard scheduled YouTube event instructions rather than assuming that an older limitation still applies.
Choose the visibility deliberately. Public is suitable when the channel is ready for anyone to find the stream. Unlisted is useful when you intend to share the link, but it is not the same as access control: anyone with the link may be able to watch it. Private is for a restricted audience subject to YouTube’s current account rules. Switchboard documents these visibility choices, while YouTube controls the behaviour of the published video.
Add the prerecorded file as an OBS Media Source
Open OBS and select, or create, the scene that should carry the broadcast. A scene is the arrangement OBS sends to the encoder. For a simple looping station, it may contain one Media Source with the video file, although you can add other sources such as a logo, a text label, or a static border if your design needs them.
In the Sources panel, add a Media Source. Give it a name that will still make sense when you return to the project later, such as Main devotional video or Night ambience file. Select the prerecorded file from the computer. The source must remain available to the computer while OBS is streaming, so avoid moving, renaming, or disconnecting the file after you have configured it.
Check the preview before starting the stream. Look for the expected picture, audio meter movement, and a sensible crop. If the video is vertical but the scene is horizontal, or if the source is smaller than the canvas, correct the layout now rather than discovering the problem on YouTube.
The Media Source properties also contain playback controls. The exact wording can vary with OBS versions, but the relevant setting is the option to loop or repeat the media. Do not confuse it with restarting the source when the scene becomes active. Restarting affects when playback begins; looping affects what happens when the file reaches its end.
A useful test is to let the file approach its ending while watching the OBS preview and audio meters. You are checking that the source returns to its beginning and that the scene does not become blank. This is a playback test, not a test of the Switchboard or YouTube connection.
Enable repeat playback in the Media Source
Open the Media Source properties and enable the repeat-loop option. Save the setting, then confirm that the source remains visible in the preview. The loop is now an instruction to OBS to replay the local file when it finishes.
If the source stops instead of repeating, check the following points:
- Confirm that the repeat option was enabled on the actual Media Source used in the active scene.
- Confirm that you did not add the file as a different source and then test an unused scene.
- Check whether the file itself plays to the end in a normal media player.
- Check that the file path still points to the original location.
- Watch the audio meters as the file reaches its end, because a silent video can look like a failed stream even when the picture is repeating.
OBS can play a local file continuously, but that does not mean the YouTube broadcast will be uninterrupted. A power cut, computer restart, application crash, network failure, encoder overload, or destination problem can interrupt the feed. Treat looping and reliability as two separate checks.
For a playlist made from several files, decide whether you need one edited file or a source arrangement that changes between items. A single file is easier to validate for the basic workflow described here. If your problem is a gap between separate items, the issue may be playlist or source switching rather than the repeat checkbox; this OBS playlist troubleshooting guide covers that different case.
Configure OBS for the Switchboard workflow
With the Media Source ready, connect OBS to the Switchboard workflow rather than directly to YouTube. In OBS, open Settings and then Stream. Set the service to Custom. Enter the Stream URL and Stream Key supplied for the relevant Switchboard workflow.
Treat the key as a credential. Do not paste it into a public document, screenshot, chat message, or video description. If you believe it has been exposed, use the controls provided by the relevant service to replace or revoke it, then update the encoder.
The custom service fields tell OBS where to send its encoded feed. They do not select the final YouTube audience by themselves. The destination is managed in Switchboard, which is why you should not assume that a successful OBS connection means the YouTube broadcast is already public.
Before applying the settings, confirm that you selected the intended workflow. A wrong workflow can still accept a technically valid feed while sending it to the wrong destination or group. If you manage more than one channel, use a naming convention that includes the channel or programme, such as India devotional night or Study ambience test.
Review the basic OBS output settings as well. Use a stable configuration that your computer and connection can sustain. The correct values depend on the file, canvas, encoder, and available upload capacity, so do not copy a setting merely because it worked for another channel. Start with the configuration you have already tested locally and change one thing at a time.
Do not add an external capture device for this file-based workflow. If you are instead bringing in an HDMI camera or another physical source, OBS may need a Video Capture Device source and the computer may need compatible capture hardware. That is a separate setup, not a prerequisite for repeating a local video.
Start OBS and check the confidence monitor
Save the OBS scene and settings, then select Start Streaming. OBS should begin sending the Media Source feed to the Switchboard workflow. At this point, YouTube may still show no public broadcast, because you have not necessarily started the destination yet.
Open the relevant Switchboard workflow and watch its confidence monitor. You want to see the expected picture arriving there, not only a moving preview inside OBS. Check the receiving indicator described in Switchboard’s workflow documentation and confirm that it shows the incoming feed as active.
Use this stage to verify several details:
- The picture in the confidence monitor is the intended file, not an old scene or a blank source.
- The audio is present when it should be present, and the levels are not obviously absent or distorted.
- The image is correctly framed and not unexpectedly cropped.
- The incoming indicator remains active while you watch it.
- The file continues playing when it reaches its end, if you have enough time to observe that transition.
The confidence monitor is valuable because it divides the fault-finding process. If OBS shows the file but Switchboard does not, investigate the custom URL, stream key, network connection, OBS status, and workflow selection. If Switchboard shows the feed but YouTube does not publish it, investigate the destination configuration, YouTube permissions, event details, and visibility settings.
Avoid starting and stopping the encoder repeatedly while you are still checking credentials. Each restart creates another point at which the source or receiving workflow may be misread. Once the feed is visible and stable, leave OBS streaming while you activate the destination.
For channels run from a remote computer, the local OBS process remains part of the operating chain. A disconnected terminal session or remote login does not automatically mean the encoder has stopped, but you should verify the process and its stream status. The principles in keeping a YouTube live stream running after an SSH disconnect are relevant when OBS is running on a managed remote machine.
Start the YouTube destination
When the confidence monitor shows the correct incoming feed, start the YouTube destination in Switchboard. This is the point at which the relay is instructed to send the feed to the selected YouTube channel or event.
If the destination is a normal live stream, check the title, description, visibility, and channel before confirming. If it is a scheduled event, follow the event-specific sequence in YouTube Live Control Room as well as the Switchboard steps. Do not treat a scheduled event as identical to a regular destination merely because both eventually show a live video page.
After activation, open the YouTube Studio monitoring view or the public viewing page according to the visibility you selected. Confirm that the picture and audio arrive there. A working confidence monitor proves that Switchboard is receiving the feed; it does not by itself prove that viewers can play the YouTube broadcast.
Test the actual viewing link before sharing it. For an unlisted stream, use the link as a viewer would, while remembering that unlisted is link-based visibility rather than a guarantee that only named people can access it. For a private stream, test with an account that is eligible under YouTube’s current rules.
Watch the hand-off for long enough to catch obvious problems. Confirm that the stream title is correct, the thumbnail or preview is sensible, the audio remains aligned, and the source is still advancing. If the stream is intended to run through the night, record the checks you made so another person can repeat them without guessing.
A useful operating note should include the file location, OBS scene name, Switchboard workflow name, destination type, visibility choice, and the person responsible for checking the broadcast. Keep credentials out of that note. The purpose is to make recovery and handover clearer, not to create another place where a stream key can leak.
Plan for failures instead of assuming the loop is enough
The repeat option solves one narrow problem: what OBS should do when the local file reaches its end. It does not restart OBS after an operating-system update, repair a damaged file, restore a lost internet connection, or reactivate a YouTube destination after a policy or account issue.
For a 24/7 channel, test the failure points separately. Stop and restart OBS during a planned test. Confirm that the correct scene loads and that the Media Source still points to the file. Test the computer’s power and network arrangements. If the stream is being run remotely, make sure you have a way to inspect OBS without relying on the same connection that carries the live feed.
Switchboard has its own workflow controls, including an autostart feature described in its official autostart guide. Read the current prerequisites before relying on it. An automation setting cannot replace a clear understanding of whether OBS is sending a feed and whether the YouTube destination is active.
If maintaining the computer, network, and encoder overnight is the part you want to remove, StreamNeo can take the uploaded video and YouTube stream key so the file can run as a cloud-based YouTube broadcast without leaving your computer switched on. You still need to choose suitable content, configure the channel, and check the current YouTube requirements.
The right choice depends on what you need to control. OBS gives you direct control over local files, scenes, sources, and the machine running the encoder. A managed cloud workflow reduces the need to keep that machine running, but you should still verify the published channel and plan how you will respond if the destination or account needs attention.
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
Can Switchboard Live loop my prerecorded file?
No. The repeat setting belongs in the encoder, such as OBS. Switchboard receives the encoder feed through its supported ingest workflow and relays it to the selected destination; it does not store or loop the prerecorded file.
Do I need a capture card to loop a video from my computer?
No. Add the local file as an OBS Media Source and enable its repeat option. A capture device may be needed for an external HDMI camera or another physical video source, but it is not needed simply to play a file saved on the computer.
Why does OBS show the video while Switchboard shows no incoming feed?
Check that OBS is set to the Custom service and that the workflow’s Stream URL and Stream Key were entered correctly. Also confirm that you started streaming in OBS, selected the intended workflow, and allowed the computer’s network connection to reach the ingest endpoint.
Does starting OBS automatically start YouTube?
Not necessarily. The documented workflow is to start OBS, confirm the feed on the Switchboard confidence monitor, and then start the YouTube destination. Scheduled events can require additional coordination in YouTube Live Control Room, so follow the current instructions for the event type you are using.