How looping a video as YouTube live works

What a looped YouTube live is

Viewers join a live player, not a regular uploaded video. The pictures are a file you already have. StreamAdda sends that MP4 to the live. When the file reaches the end, the same slot starts it again. That repeat is the loop.

A looped live is not the same as uploading the file again as a VOD. When the live ends, that broadcast is not sitting on the channel as a duplicate upload. You still follow YouTube's live policies for your content.

Where the loop actually runs

After you paste the stream key and click start, StreamAdda encodes from a dedicated cloud server with its own IP. The file lives in your gallery. The loop is on that server, not on the laptop you used to click start. Close the browser. Shut the lid.

That is the difference from leaving a media source looping in OBS: the encode stays on that PC, so sleep, a power cut, or a home-internet drop stops the live. The same comparison is on 24/7 YouTube live vs OBS.

StreamAdda does not ask for YouTube channel access. The destination is the key you paste. Studio clicks to copy that key are on how to find your YouTube stream key.

How long the loop should run

Streams can loop 24/7. There is no length cap on the file playing again. StreamAdda still recommends restarting a stream about every three days, because view performance on a single continuous broadcast tends to drop after that.

You can swap the MP4 in the slot later. You do not need a webcam or a studio for this broadcast. Extra simultaneous lives are extra slots — how that works is on how to run multiple 24/7 YouTube live streams, not this loop.

After you understand the loop

The loop does not start by itself. Upload the MP4, paste the key, start the slot, and confirm the live on the channel. Those steps stay on how to stream pre-recorded video as YouTube live.

Prefer a screen recording of the dashboard? Use the StreamAdda tutorial video.

Loop FAQ

What does looping a video as YouTube live mean?

Viewers join a live player. StreamAdda sends your pre-recorded MP4 to that live. When the file ends, the same slot plays it again. That is the loop. You are not sitting in front of a camera.

Is a looped live the same as uploading the file again?

No. A looped live is a broadcast. When that live ends, the file is not sitting on the channel as another regular upload. You still have to follow YouTube's live policies for your content.

Does the computer have to stay on for the loop?

No. After you start the slot, StreamAdda encodes from a dedicated cloud server. Closing the browser or shutting the lid does not stop the loop. Leaving OBS on a PC is a different job.

How long can the loop run?

StreamAdda can loop 24/7. Restart a stream about every three days: view performance on a single continuous broadcast tends to drop after that. You can swap the MP4 in the slot without building a new live from scratch.

How do I start a looped live?

Copy the YouTube stream key, upload the MP4, paste the key into a StreamAdda slot, and click start. Those clicks are on the how-to page. This page is only what the loop is.