How to add a playlist to OBS

Are you tired of manually switching between media files during your live streams or recordings? Then, adding playlist features into OBS can be a real game-changer. Learn how to run a basic playlist on OBS, understand its features and limitations, and discover how integrating moviejaySX’s advanced playlist features can fully automate the playback of mixed media files, ensuring a smooth and professional broadcast.

Generically speaking, a playlist is a collection of media files (videos, audio, images) that play sequentially or randomly. It allows you to automate your media playback, freeing you from the hassle of switching manually. Comparing to just going live, running a playlist ensures your channel schedule is engaging and polished so your viewers can get the best quality content at any time they tune in.

Adding a playlist to OBS is as simple as selecting the VLC Video Source and browse to add your video files and get them playing on your scene. OBS is indeed a powerful tool for streamers and YouTubers hosting live events, but managing a complex 24/7 schedule can become overwhelming, especially if you’re aiming for more than just basic clip sequencing.

OBS’s playlist feature, while convenient for simple needs, falls short for those managing 24/7 streaming channels or larger operations. Adding a playlist in OBS is straightforward—just select the VLC Video Source and add your video files. However, the limitations are significant:

• Easily interrupted continuity: Any playlist edits cause an immediate restart, disrupting the stream.
• Mixed resolution issues: Mixed playback of SD and HD clips doesn’t adjust smoothly, leading to improper screen fits.
• No proof playback: Just a missing clip causes the entire playback to stop.
• Lack of trimming: Clips play in their entirety, with no option to trim.
• Chopped media: Inherits the well-known VLC’s issue of sometimes cutting off the beginning and end of media files.

These limitations, widely confirmed by user feedback, render OBS’s playlist feature impractical for anything beyond basic, occasional use.

moviejaySX comes with a fully featured, integrated playlist manager: carefully engineered to effortlessly compile, save and run your daily schedule at the exact desired time, with a mere handful of clicks. It offers a suite of cutting-edge features, including management of forced events, swapping overlays, loading graphics projects, switching between live and network feeds, making it the central hub of your automation workflow.

With full NDI output implementation, integrating your playlist into multiple NDI-enabled destinations over standard IP networks, such as OBS, is straightforward. This simplifies setup, reduces infrastructure costs, and provides unparalleled flexibility. Here are some key advantages over the VLC source:

• Smooth live edits: The playlist automatically readapts to any live edits without disrupting the stream output.
• Mixed playback: Clips of different resolutions can be freely queued and will be automatically scaled to the ouput resolution, ensuring a perfect screen fit.
• Fail proof: In case of missing or damaged clip, playback skips to the next item in the queue.
• Non-destructive editing: Thanks to the offline editing, you have the chance to trim your clips to remove any unwanted gaps without affecting the original media.
• Playlist transitions: Choose from a variety of playlist transitions to enhance your playback.
• Scheduling: Take advantage from the fully featured planner to manage your programming and advertising along multiple daily or weekly schedules, save your lists and recall them anytime for later reuse.
• CG and overlays: Easily switch graphics and schedule overlays anywhere throughout your playlist

These features and more make moviejaySX a powerful and versatile tool for managing and automating your media playback requirements.

Upgrading your streaming setup by integrating a playlist into OBS can leverage your experience into a 24/7 channel, dramatically increasing your visibility and viewers’ engagement. While the VLC source in OBS is a solid starting point for simple background content, upgrading to a dedicated playout system offering complex scheduling features, advertising capabilities and graphic overlays can be a definitive game-changer. So don’t be afraid to explore different workflows to discover the best fit for your goals.