Wording for a Media Source property is perhaps incomplete

[StefenTower]

While embedding a media source into a scene and testing with it, I have come to realize that the property "Restart playback when source becomes active" also in practice means "Don't appear unless the scene the source is embedded in is active", or at least that's how it is behaving for me.

In my testing, I'm using an inactive scene with an embedded media source to project to a monitor, and so I needed to uncheck this property so the media source would show up in the scene. When checked, the media didn't appear.

This isn't a bug I think, but maybe a rewording of the option is in order?

 

[Suslik V]

When you make "Restart playback when source becomes active" option unchecked the media playback starts during OBS launch. Thus, all media playing back simultaneously.

I think, the option is doing what it says, literally.
Source "active" - in terms of OBS is when source is present in output i.e. in a streaming, in a recording, in a replay buffer etc. Usually* users have only one scene (and all sources it contains) in the output, then they switch to other scene and now it appears in output. The behavior of active/inactive state of the source is clearly visible in main menu Edit > Advanced Audio Properties. Make unchecked "Active Sources Only" and look at "Status" field. Then just add Media Source to OBS.

* there are plugins like Source Record that can record individual sources from other scenes, so these sources still present in "special" output of Source Record and OBS outputs two files and more.

 

[StefenTower]

I probably should have explained myself better.

I am projecting a non-output (not being recorded or streamed) scene to a monitor, so it's not active per se. I am using a scene as a placard on a monitor that is part of my video presentation. This works rather well, and I get the flexibility of an OBS scene to play with.

That's why I say that in practice, this option also means "Don't appear unless the scene the source is embedded in is active".