To run a pre-recorded playlist as a continuous YouTube live broadcast in Castr, create a Pre-Recorded Stream, add and order the videos, choose Loop, connect YouTube as a destination, and start the stream. Looping is the simpler route when you want the same sequence to repeat; use TV Playout when the channel needs a dated timetable, timed starts, live inserts, or breaks.
Those are separate workflows, not two names for the same controls. Check the current plan limits for the feature you intend to use, and confirm your YouTube account and event are ready in YouTube Studio before relying on the broadcast.
Choose looping or scheduled playout
Begin by deciding what “schedule” means for your channel. If the requirement is “play these recorded videos in this order, then start again”, a Pre-Recorded Stream with Loop is the direct fit. Castr’s scheduling guidance describes its infinite loop mode as starting when enabled, so it is not a way to hold a playlist until a chosen hour.
If you need a programme to begin at a particular time, or a sequence of different programmes across the day, consider TV Playout instead. Its timetable can include VOD, Live-to-VOD, livestream items, and breaks. A break can fill time before a later item is due, but you must apply schedule changes with the Set Schedule control. Check the displayed dates and time zone in the dashboard before activating it.
| Your requirement | Pre-Recorded Stream with Loop | TV Playout |
|---|---|---|
| Repeat the same ordered video sequence | Designed for this simple continuous loop | Can loop a playout, with separate controls and limits |
| Begin at a selected date and time | Scheduling a start is distinct from Loop | Timed timetable is the relevant workflow |
| Mix recorded material and livestreams | The documented route here is recorded videos | Supports VOD, Live-to-VOD, and livestream items |
| Insert planned gaps or programme breaks | Not the central use of this workflow | Breaks can fill space in the timetable |
Castr documents both features, but their plan limits are not interchangeable. Check the plan terms for Pre-Recorded Streams if you need a particular number of files or infinite looping, and separately check TV Playout’s loop window and per-playout limits if you choose its timetable. Avoid choosing a plan based on a limit shown for the other feature.
There is also a difference between a continuous broadcast and a guaranteed broadcast. A playlist can be configured to repeat, but that alone does not prove that YouTube is receiving it, that the event is public, or that the channel will remain available all night. Castr’s Pre-Recorded Stream guide explains the product workflow; YouTube’s live streaming help is the place to check current account readiness and YouTube-side requirements.
Create a Pre-Recorded Stream
In the Castr Dashboard, open Pre-Recorded Streams and create a new stream. Labels may change as Castr updates the dashboard; if the wording differs, use the current help article and the options visible in your account rather than assuming a TV Playout tutorial will match. This guide follows the Pre-Recorded Stream route for a repeated recorded playlist.
Have the media files ready before configuring the stream. Castr’s current help guidance for this workflow identifies MP4 as the supported format. It also says file-size and number-of-file limits vary by subscription, so verify your account’s current allowance rather than preparing a playlist around a limit found in an old tutorial. The plan limits are product terms and can change.
Create the stream with a name that makes its purpose easy to recognise, such as “Evening bhajans” or “Study ambience”. A clear name helps when you return to the dashboard to inspect or edit the broadcast, particularly if you manage several channels or test playlists. Do not treat the name as a YouTube title: the destination event’s title and visibility are separate settings to check on YouTube.
Castr may let you upload files or select recorded videos already in its library. Choose the intended source for each item, then confirm that every required video appears in the playlist. A file that exists on your computer is not necessarily present in the Castr library, and a file in the library is not automatically included in a new playlist. Verify the actual entries before moving to the schedule mode.
If your material is devotional music, lessons, news summaries, or ambience, check that you have permission to use each video and its sound on YouTube. This setup explains how to configure the broadcast, not whether a particular recording is cleared for your channel. YouTube’s copyright and permissions guidance is a useful starting point; review the current official information for your situation.
Add and order the video files
Add the videos in the order you want viewers to encounter them. A loop repeats that sequence from the beginning, so the end of the playlist leads back to its first item. For a devotional channel, that might mean opening with a short invocation and placing longer bhajans after it. For a study station, it may mean arranging tracks to avoid an abrupt change in mood when the sequence restarts.
Castr’s guidance says you can reorder entries and disable individual videos you do not want included. Use that control to exclude a draft, an outdated bulletin, or a file that should remain in the library but not air in this stream. After rearranging or disabling entries, inspect the list once more and check the displayed total duration, which the guide says updates as the playlist changes.
The displayed duration helps you understand how often the sequence will return to its beginning, but it is not a promise that a given item will start at a particular clock time. Loop mode is about repeating the playlist, not creating a day-by-day programme grid. If a morning prayer must begin at a fixed local time, that is a signal to evaluate TV Playout rather than trying to infer a timed start from the loop length.
Check the opening and closing moments of the files before committing. A video that ends with a long silence, a slate, or a spoken sign-off may make the restart feel like a gap or an abrupt transition. For more on a common audio issue, see this guide to preventing gaps in a looping sleep-sounds stream. The same practical check applies to any quiet recording: listen through the transition, rather than judging only the file names and order.
If you are switching from a local computer-based workflow, keep the distinction between media preparation and stream operation clear. You can review the FFmpeg approach to a 24/7 Indian music stream for a different operating model, but it does not change the Castr controls described here. Choose the workflow you can check and maintain, not one whose terminology merely sounds familiar.
Select Loop
In the scheduling options for the Pre-Recorded Stream, choose Loop when the intended behaviour is to repeat the playlist continuously. Do not select a scheduled date-and-time mode expecting it to behave the same way. Castr’s scheduling guide distinguishes an infinite loop, which begins when enabled, from a scheduled start at a selected time.
That difference matters if you are preparing a channel in advance. If you want the repeated playlist to begin now, Loop is the direct setting. If you need it to begin later, consult the current dashboard options and help documentation for the correct scheduled-start workflow; do not assume a loop can be held in reserve until a target time. The scheduler’s time zone is reported to match the device, so check your device zone and the displayed start time before depending on a timed start.
Review the subscription terms for Pre-Recorded Streams before relying on looping or a specific playlist capacity. Castr’s product information lists different file counts by plan and says infinite looping is available on Premium and higher; those are Castr’s stated product limits, not general rules for every mode. As listed on Castr’s site in October 2026, the product page showed two files per stream on Starter and Standard, ten on Premium, and fifteen on Ultra. Confirm the current terms in your account before purchase, since limits can change. These figures apply to the Pre-Recorded Stream feature and must not be carried across to TV Playout.
Before leaving this screen, make sure the selected mode is still Loop and the intended videos are enabled. If you change the playlist after setting the mode, recheck the configuration rather than assuming the dashboard retained every choice. A short review at this point is less disruptive than discovering that the stream started in a different mode or included a file you meant to omit.
Connect YouTube as a destination
Add YouTube as the destination for the stream, then authenticate your account or select the saved platform connection if one is available. Castr’s YouTube-specific instructions describe a YouTube Events path in which you connect the account and choose a new event or an existing one. Current dashboard labels may differ from older help material, so confirm the selected event in the interface before starting.
Check that YouTube is enabled as a destination for this stream. Connecting an account is not the same as enabling it on the particular broadcast. If your Castr account has several destinations saved, verify that the YouTube toggle is on and that you have selected the channel and event you actually intend to use.
Then review the YouTube-side details: event title, visibility, scheduled details if applicable, and any channel-specific settings. A stream can be successfully configured in Castr while the wrong YouTube event is selected or the event is not presented as intended. Castr’s guide to live streaming pre-recorded video on YouTube documents its YouTube Events route. For account-specific eligibility or restrictions, check YouTube Studio and YouTube’s current official help rather than assuming that a successful connection settles every question.
Keep the stream key and account access private. Use the platform’s supported account connection flow where available, and do not paste credentials into a public document, chat, or screenshot. If YouTube asks you to resolve an account or event issue, resolve that on YouTube’s side before treating the Castr setup as ready.
Start and check the broadcast
When the playlist, mode, and destination are ready, start the stream from Castr. A successful click is only the first check. Confirm in the Castr dashboard that the stream is running and that YouTube is shown as an active destination; then open the selected YouTube event or Studio view to check that it is receiving the broadcast.
Watch the opening playback long enough to verify that the expected first video appears and that audio is present. Check the title and visibility from the viewer-facing side as well, if possible. If you cannot see the stream, distinguish between a playlist issue, a destination toggle, an event selection problem, and a YouTube-side restriction before changing several settings at once. Change one thing, then test again so you can identify what fixed the issue.
For an overnight channel, decide who or what will notice a problem and how you will respond. A loop setting does not remove the need to check the broadcast after starting it. If you manage the channel from India while viewers are elsewhere, make sure any planned start time is interpreted in the expected time zone. Keep a note of the stream name, destination event, and the checks you performed; this is more useful during a late-night interruption than relying on memory.
If your channel depends on a single continuous broadcast, think about the recovery plan before going live. The article how to restart a 24/7 children’s livestream after a power cut in India addresses a different local-computer scenario, but its core operational lesson is relevant: know what must be checked after an interruption, rather than assuming the stream resumed exactly as intended. Do not promise viewers uninterrupted playback; verify the state shown by the platform.
A cloud-based workflow can remove the particular burden of keeping your own computer switched on to feed a pre-recorded stream. StreamNeo takes an uploaded video and runs it as a YouTube live stream, so you do not have to keep a local machine running just to maintain a continuous broadcast. That is a different operating choice from configuring Castr’s playlist and timetable features; compare what each workflow actually needs you to manage.
When TV Playout is a better fit
Use TV Playout when the channel is a timetable rather than a single playlist on repeat. It is intended for arranging content across scheduled dates and times, with a Livestream destination, a schedule or loop mode, and timetable items. Castr’s setup guidance includes VOD, Live-to-VOD, livestreams, and optional breaks. That lets you plan a sequence such as a recorded morning programme, a live service, and a later recorded segment without treating the whole day as one repeated playlist.
For a timed programme, set the broadcast date and time in the TV Playout workflow and add the items in their intended order. If you need to hold a gap until a later start, add a break that ends immediately before the target programme. Castr’s 24/7 scheduling guide gives an example of ending the break one second before the next start; the TV Playout setup guide states a minimum break duration of two minutes. Check the schedule display and time zone, then use Set Schedule to apply the finished changes.
Do not assume that editing an active timetable changes what is already on air. Castr’s TV Playout guidance says the item currently on air cannot be replaced or moved while live, and changes need to be applied with Set Schedule. If you are preparing a schedule during a broadcast, check which item is live and what changes the dashboard permits before editing. Plan changes around the controls actually offered rather than expecting the current programme to be reordered on the fly.
TV Playout has its own plan limits, including limits relating to loop windows and files per playout. Castr’s product information, as listed on its site in October 2026, showed Premium looping up to 15 days ahead and Ultra and Events up to 30 days, with longer runs directed to sales. Treat those as TV Playout figures only, not Pre-Recorded Stream limits. Confirm current availability and plan terms in Castr’s own dashboard or product page before deciding.
In short, choose Pre-Recorded Stream Loop for a straightforward repeating sequence, and TV Playout when you need a calendar, timed programme starts, live inserts, or planned breaks. They serve different scheduling needs and have distinct controls and limits. If neither matches the way you want to operate, compare the time needed to maintain the workflow with how much control the channel actually needs.
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 Castr Loop start at a time I choose?
Castr’s scheduling guidance describes Loop as starting when enabled, while a scheduled date-and-time start is a separate mode. If the stream must begin at a fixed hour, check the current dashboard’s scheduled-start options or evaluate TV Playout for a timed timetable. Confirm the time zone shown before relying on a start time.
Can I use TV Playout limits to plan a Pre-Recorded Stream?
No. Castr documents separate controls and plan limits for Pre-Recorded Streams and TV Playout. Check the current terms for the feature you will use, especially file capacity, looping access, and any loop window.
What should I check after starting the stream?
Confirm the Castr dashboard shows the stream running and YouTube enabled, then check the selected event in YouTube Studio or the viewer-facing page. Verify that the first video and audio are present, and that the title and visibility are as intended. If something is missing, isolate the destination, event, or media setting before changing multiple things at once.
Is a YouTube connection enough to confirm my account is ready?
No. A successful connection only confirms part of the setup. Review the current account and event status in YouTube Studio and consult YouTube’s official help for any eligibility or restriction that applies to your channel.