Scroll down to browse the FAQ, or select your area of need:
Configuration questions (Flash)
Configuration questions (Windows Media)
Problems viewing streams
Connection types
Viewing pre-2007 archives
Poor audio or video quality
Purchasing CD or DVD recordings
How do I view Flash streams?
Most content is available in Flash format beginning February 2009. Your computer must be equipped with the Flash Player, and a high-speed internet connection is required.
Download the Flash Player from Adobe. Most computers have Flash pre-installed. We require version 9.0.124 or higher, though for the best experience, we recommend version 10 or higher.
The link above will automatically determine the Flash Player download appropriate for your computer. Follow the on-screen directions to install the player.
After you have the player installed, simply use your web browser, click on the link for the event you wish to view, and a player window will open.
Mac users: OS 10.3.x does not support Flash Player 10. If the automatic install above does not work for you, download the 9.0.124 installer to your computer and run it manually.
How do I view Windows Media streams?
To view earlier (non-Flash) content, your computer must be capable of playing Windows Media content, and a high-speed internet connection is required.
PC users should download the Windows Media Player from Microsoft. Most PCs have the program already installed. We require version 6.4 or higher, though for the best experience, we recommend version 9 or higher.
Firefox users: we recommend also installing the Firefox WMP Plugin for full features, though the streams will work without it.
Mac users need a plugin called Flip4Mac available that allows the streams to play in QuickTime. Flip4Mac is the official Microsoft-endorsed solution for playing Windows Media content on a Mac.
Note: for successful viewing, we require version 2.2.0.49 or greater of the Flip4Mac plugin.
Once you have downloaded the player appropriate for your computer, install it by double-clicking on the file you downloaded, then follow the directions on-screen. You may need to restart your computer to complete the installation.
After you have the player installed, simply use your web browser, click on the link for the event you wish to view, and a player window will open.
Can I use RealPlayer to view the streams?
No; only compatible players will work to view the streams.
Nothing happens when I click on an event.
Your browser may be blocking pop-ups. Be sure you allow pop-up windows to be opened from www.stolaf.edu.
I get an error message when I click on an event, or the player loads, but nothing plays—just a blank window.
To view the streams successfully, you must have Javascript enabled in your web browser. You will experience problems if Javascript
There is also a known bug in the 'Adblock' extension for Firefox that prevents the Flash player from loading. The developer of the Adblock extension recommends upgrade to Adblock Plus 1.0 to prevent this problem.
You may be trying to connect before the stream has been activated. Streaming starts about 10 minutes before the event is scheduled to begin.
St. Olaf College is in the Central USA Time Zone.
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."
What's going on? Is there something I can do?
The stream leaves our server at a constant rate. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, your internet provider may not always be able to guarantee a consistent connection speed. That's where the skips and "hiccups" come in.
You may want to talk with your provider if you consistently have skips or "hiccups" when you are trying to view a stream.
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.
You are free to attempt viewing video streams with a dial-up connection, but we do not recommend it.
Any common variety of high-speed connection—such as DSL, cable, WiFi, or satellite—should be sufficient to view the streams.
Why do some events only support the high quality viewing option?
In certain cases, we offer only a high quality option to preserve the best viewing quality. You must have a DSL or cable modem connection to the internet to view these streams. Your connection must provide at least 512 Kbps (kilobytes per second) of download bandwidth. Most cable services provide this minimal bandwidth; some DSL services do not. You may need to check your service performance with your local Internet Service Provider. These higher bandwidth requirements are not available on dial-up services, and require DSL, Cable, or similar speeds. Even 256K DSL is not fast enough to view these video streams.
How do I know what my connection speed is?
You can ask your internet provider, or try one of the following online speed tests. (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.)
http://www.dslreports.com/stest?loc=1
http://ndt.anl.gov/
http://www.wugnet.com/myspeed/speedtest.asp
How do I view archives from before the 2007–2008 academic year?
In order to listen, download the latest version of the QuickTime Player. (You may wish to select the version without iTunes.)
Once you have downloaded QuickTime, install it by double-clicking on the file you downloaded, then follow the directions on-screen.
After you have QuickTime installed, simply use your web browser, click on the link for the event you wish to view, and a player window will open.
The sound quality isn't as good as it is on my CD player. What's wrong?
In short, nothing's wrong. In order for audio and video to be streamed live over the Internet it needs to be compressed. This decreases the sound quality to some degree.
The video appears blocky or of poor quality.
As with audio, in order for video to be streamed live over the Internet it needs to be compressed, and this reduces the quality of the image. Due to the musical nature of most of our streams, we bias our encoding towards the audio—in effect, "trading" some of the video quality for better audio. This allows us to keep the bandwidth of the stream down, so that users with slower connections can receive the stream without skipping.
If you would like to enjoy St. Olaf performances at the highest fidelity, please visit stolafrecords.com to browse the catalog and purchase a CD or DVD.
Students, faculty, and staff may purchase CD or DVD recordings of chapel services, by emailing broadcastmedia@stolaf.edu. Recordings are not available for sale to the public.
PC-Cillin users: PC-Cillin has been known to cause issues with our streaming services. We recommend that you contact the manufacturer of PC-Cillin, Trend Micro at trendmicro.com.
