When you are streaming there may be times you want to play pre-recorded content on stream. Maybe this is some pre-recorded content that you want to be heavily produced or potentially a brand deal advert that you want to play on stream.
In this article we are going to cover a couple of methods to Stream pre-recorded videos on Twitch.
How To Stream Pre-Recorded Videos Using Streamlabs & OBS
Method 1: Adding Your Pre-recorded Content As A Media Source
Streamlabs and OBS Studio have a feature which allows you to include a media source in your stream. You can play the file by activating the ‘media source’ in your stream.
Step 1 – Add A Media Source
Find the scene you want to display your pre-recorded video in during your stream. Go to Sources –> Click + –> Media Source –> Add Source
You will then be prompted to give your new media source a name. It’s helpful to name your pre-recorded video if you plan on having multiple videos during the stream.
The screen below will then appear. Click browse to open the files on your computer. From here you can find and select the video that you want to display on your stream.
If you want the video to play on a loop select the ‘loop’ box. Now you can select ‘Done’ and your media source will appear in your sources.
Step 2 – Toggling Your Media During The Stream
Once you have started your stream you can start to play the video by toggling the eye icon to on.
If the eye is toggled on and you can’t see your video toggle it off and on again. Also check that your source is above other sources such as game capture, display capture etc.
Once your video starts playing you are unable to pause the video without it reverting back to the start. This is one of the down sides to using this method.
To end the video just toggle the eye icon back to off.
This is a good method if you want to replay a VOD and stream it to your channel where you wouldn’t need to start and stop it.
Method 2: Using Display Capture to Play A Pre-Recorded Video
Display capture allows you to play your video on a second monitor and stream it to your audience. This allows you to play, pause and fast forward the video making it good for reacting to a video on stream.
Step 1 – Add Your Second Monitor As A Source
In Streamlabs or OBS go to Sources –> Click + –> Display Capture –> Give your display capture a name.
You will then be asked to select which ‘display’ you would like to add. Click on the display dropdown and select your second monitor.
Click ‘Done’ and your second monitor will now appear as a source in your scene.
You could put your second monitor in a completely separate scene that you only use when you want to display and watch pre-recorded videos.
Step 2 – Play Your Video On Your Second Monitor
You can now just open up the video you want to play on your second monitor and play/pause as you like.
Stream Pre-Recorded Videos With Restream
Restream is another platform you can use to stream pre-recorded videos live. Normally the app is used for streaming to multiple platforms at the same time however they also include this feature.
How To Stream Pre-Recorded Videos With Restream
- Log in or create an account with Restream and open the ‘video storage’ section.
- Click on the blue upload button and find the pre-recorded video you would like to upload. Click Open to upload it to Restream. (If it is a large file you are uploading this can take sometime depending on your internet connection)
- Now that your video is uploaded you can go to the Events Dashboard and click on Schedule Live Event
- Select the ‘Schedule a Recorded Video’ option and select ‘Uploaded Videos’. Select the video that you want to stream
- You can either a) start the stream right away or b) Schedule the video for a time in the future (You’re not required to be there while your stream takes place)
- You then fill in the information for you stream (Title, Description, Date & Time of stream and a Thumbnail)
- Select the platforms that you want to stream on.
- Click ‘Save’ to finish creating the event
- Click on the event to get a link you can share to the stream
Upload Videos Directly To Twitch
Twitch also has a feature which allows you to upload videos directly to Twitch. While this isn’t exactly live streaming a pre-recorded video it is a good way to provide your audience with content if you are away for a few days. You can only access this feature if you are an affiliate or partner on Twitch.
How To Upload Videos Directly To Twitch
- Click on your profile in the top right of Twitch and click on ‘Video Producer’
- In the menu on the left hand side select video producer.
- Click Upload and select the video you want to upload from your computer
- Your video will start uploading to your channel. Once it has finished uploading you can edit the Title and description of the video before having it appear on your Twitch channel
Is It Okay To Stream Pre-Recorded Content On Twitch?
In certain circumstances it is completely acceptable to use pre-recorded content on Twitch.
Brand Deals & Announcements
If you have a big announcement about your channel or potentially a heavily produced brand deal you may want to stream that pre-recorded content out to your channel.
Game Beta’s
If a game has recently been in Beta and is not playable anymore you can restream your footage from the Beta days. This is actually a good strategy to pull in some new eye balls to your channel.
Creating Content If You Are Away
If you are going to be off stream for a week or so you may want to schedule some pre-recorded content on your channel during the week. This allows your audience to still stay connected with you even if you are not able to be there live. If you do this I would recommend having something on screen that let’s the viewers know it is pre-record or replay content. Otherwise lot’s of people will wonder why you aren’t replying to chat.
Wrapping Up
There is numerous reasons why you may want to pre-record footage and stream it to your audience. Using this methods should make the process easy for you. Just remember if you are streaming replays of streams to let your audience know otherwise they will get annoyed in chat.
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