Track core playback on Android track-core-playback-on-android

This documentation covers tracking in version 2.x of the SDK.

IMPORTANT
If you are implementing a 1.x version of the SDK, you can download the 1.x Developers Guide for Android here: Download SDKs
  1. Initial tracking setup

    Identify when the user triggers the intention of playback (the user clicks play and/or autoplay is on) and create a MediaObject instance.

    createMediaObject API

    table 0-row-3 1-row-3 2-row-3 3-row-3 4-row-3 5-row-3 3-align-center 7-align-center 11-align-center 15-align-center 19-align-center 23-align-center
    Variable Name Description Required
    name Media name Yes
    mediaId Media unique identifier Yes
    length Media length Yes
    streamType Stream type (see StreamType constants below) Yes
    mediaType Media type (see MediaType constants below) Yes

    StreamType constants:

    table 0-row-2 1-row-2 2-row-2 3-row-2 4-row-2 5-row-2 6-row-2
    Constant Name Description
    VOD Stream type for Video on Demand.
    LIVE Stream type for Live content.
    LINEAR Stream type for Linear content.
    AOD Stream type for Audio On Demand
    AUDIOBOOK Stream type for Audio Book
    PODCAST Stream type for Podcast

    MediaType constants:

    table 0-row-2 1-row-2 2-row-2
    Constant Name Description
    Audio Media type for Audio streams.
    Video Media type for Video streams.
    code language-none
    MediaHeartbeat.createMediaObject(<MEDIA_NAME>,
      <MEDIA_ID>, <MEDIA_LENGTH>, <STREAM_TYPE>, <MEDIA_TYPE>);
    
  2. Attach metadata

    Optionally attach standard and/or custom metadata objects to the tracking session through context data variables.

    • Standard metadata

      Implement standard metadata on Android

      note note
      NOTE
      Attaching the standard metadata object to the media object is optional.
    • Custom metadata

      Create a dictionary for the custom variables and populate with the data for this media. For example:

      code language-java
      HashMap<String, String> mediaMetadata =
        new HashMap<String, String>();
      mediaMetadata.put("isUserLoggedIn", "false");
      mediaMetadata.put("tvStation", "Sample TV Station");
      mediaMetadata.put("programmer", "Sample programmer");
      
  3. Track the intention to start playback

    To begin tracking a media session, call trackSessionStart on the Media Heartbeat instance. For example:

    code language-java
    public void onVideoLoad(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackSessionStart(mediaInfo, mediaMetadata);
    }
    
    note tip
    TIP
    The second value is the custom media metadata object name that you created in step 2.
    note important
    IMPORTANT
    trackSessionStart tracks the user intention of playback, not the beginning of the playback. This API is used to load the media data/metadata and to estimate the time-to-start QoS metric (the time duration between trackSessionStart and trackPlay).
    note note
    NOTE
    If you are not using custom media metadata, simply send an empty object for the second argument in trackSessionStart.
  4. Track the actual start of playback

    Identify the event from the media player for the beginning of the media playback, where the first frame of the media is rendered on the screen, and call trackPlay:

    code language-java
    // Video is rendered on the screen) and call trackPlay.
    public void onVideoPlay(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackPlay();
    }
    
  5. Track the completion of playback

    Identify the event from the media player for the completion of the media playback, where the user has watched the content until the end, and call trackComplete:

    code language-java
    public void onVideoComplete(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackComplete();
    }
    
  6. Track the end of the session

    Identify the event from the media player for the unloading/closing of the media playback, where the user closes the media and/or the media is completed and has been unloaded, and call trackSessionEnd:

    code language-java
    // Closes the media and/or the media completed and unloaded,
    // and call trackSessionEnd().
    public void onMainVideoUnload(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackSessionEnd();
    }
    
    note important
    IMPORTANT
    trackSessionEnd marks the end of a media tracking session. If the session was successfully watched to completion, where the user watched the content until the end, ensure that trackComplete is called before trackSessionEnd. Any other track* API call is ignored after trackSessionEnd, except for trackSessionStart for a new media tracking session.
  7. Track all possible pause scenarios

    Identify the event from the media player for media pause and call trackPause:

    code language-java
    public void onVideoPause(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackPause();
    }
    

    Pause Scenarios

    Identify any scenario in which the Video Player will pause and make sure that trackPause is properly called. The following scenarios all require that your app call trackPause():

    • The user explicitly hits pause in the app.
    • The player puts itself into the Pause state.
    • (Mobile Apps) - The user puts the application into the background, but you want the app to keep the session open.
    • (Mobile Apps) - Any type of system interrupt occurs that causes an application to be backgrounded. For example, the user receives a call, or a pop up from another application occurs, but you want the application to keep the session alive to give the user the opportunity to resume the media from the point of interruption.
  8. Identify the event from the player for media play and/or media resume from pause and call trackPlay.

    code language-java
    // trackPlay()
    public void onVideoPlay(Observable observable, Object data) {
        _heartbeat.trackPlay();
    }
    
    note tip
    TIP
    This may be the same event source that was used in Step 4. Ensure that each trackPause() API call is paired with a following trackPlay() API call when the media playback resumes.

See the following for additional information on tracking core playback:

  • Tracking scenarios: VOD playback with no ads
  • Sample player included with the Android SDK for a complete tracking example.
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