General Information
The 2023 Christmas Festival livestream is available here: https://www.stolaf.edu/multimedia/play/?e=4487
All times listed are in the Central Time Zone.
Live streaming of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival will begin approximately 30 minutes before the listed start time of the concert to allow you to ensure successful connection of your viewing device.
Recommended Browsers
Any modern web browser will work to view the broadcast. If you experience trouble viewing the video, please ensure you have updated to the latest version of your browser before contacting support. Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox are recommended if you don’t have a favorite browser.
Do I need a high-speed Internet connection?
A dial-up connection will not be able to receive the amount of data necessary to sustain continuous video playback. Our streaming bitrates range from 576 to 7192 kbps. The player will automatically choose the best quality level for playback based on your connection speed and the capabilities of your device. Any common variety of high-speed connection such as cable, fiber, WiFi, LTE, DSL, or satellite should be sufficient to view the broadcast.
How can I determine my connection speed?
You can ask your Internet provider or try an online speed test. Note: tests will give varying results due to the constantly changing nature of the Internet; you can run several tests and average the results to get a better idea of your overall connection speed.
Can I view the stream on my mobile device?
The stream is compatible with desktop browsers, as well as most modern mobile devices including iPod, iPhone, iPad, and many Android phones and tablets. Older mobile devices may or may not work, depending on the particular device. We automatically detect your device type and deliver the best format.
Can I view the stream on my television?
Our player supports casting to Chromecast and compatible receivers from your Android device, or the Chrome desktop browser on your Mac or PC. You may also use Apple AirPlay to view on your television from your iOS device or Mac browser.
Roku users may view the Christmas Festival by installing the St. Olaf College Roku Channel.
I get an error message when I attempt to view, or the player loads but nothing plays.
To view the broadcast successfully, you must have Javascript enabled in your web browser. You may be trying to connect before the stream is available. If you know the event has started, please be patient; it sometimes takes a moment for the stream to begin playing.
The stream periodically skips or hiccups.
The stream leaves our server at a constant rate. Unfortunately due to many factors your Internet provider may not always be able to guarantee a consistent connection speed. This may result in excessively buffered playback, or reduced quality video and audio. Our player attempts to detect and respond to these connection issues, but it may take a moment for playback to catch up.
Can I test my system before the live stream?
Yes! We encourage you to try a sample of our streaming player: if you can see and hear the video on our test page, you are ready to watch the St. Olaf Christmas Festival.
I missed the start of the live stream. Can I view from the beginning of the concert?
Yes! If you connect before the live stream is over, our player gives you the ability to “rewind” and watch the stream from the beginning of the concert.
The “rewind” DVR feature is supported on most desktop browsers (except Internet Explorer 11), most Android devices, and Apple devices running iOS 11 or higher. If you are viewing from a device running iOS 10, using a Chromecast, or running Internet Explorer 11, the DVR feature is not available; the stream will always play live.
To rewind, simply click on the player timeline to the point where you would like to start watching. To jump back to live viewing, click the “Live” button at the end of the timeline.
Please note that the DVR feature does not enable on-demand viewing after the live stream is over — it is only available for users who have connected while the stream is live.
If you wish to watch or listen to the entire concert after the live stream, an on-demand version will be released in mid-December.