Track core playback on Android

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

StreamType constants:

MediaType constants:

MediaHeartbeat.createMediaObject(<MEDIA_NAME>,
  <MEDIA_ID>, <MEDIA_LENGTH>, <STREAM_TYPE>, <MEDIA_TYPE>);

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

  Attaching the standard metadata object to the media object is optional.
  • Media metadata keys API Reference - Standard metadata keys - Android
  • See the comprehensive set of available video metadata here: Audio and video parameters

• Custom metadata

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

  HashMap<String, String> mediaMetadata =
    new HashMap<String, String>();
  mediaMetadata.put("isUserLoggedIn", "false");
  mediaMetadata.put("tvStation", "Sample TV Station");
  mediaMetadata.put("programmer", "Sample programmer");
  

Track the intention to start playback

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

public void onVideoLoad(Observable observable, Object data) {
    _heartbeat.trackSessionStart(mediaInfo, mediaMetadata);
}

TIP

The second value is the custom media metadata object name that you created in step 2.

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

If you are not using custom media metadata, simply send an empty object for the second argument in trackSessionStart.

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:

// Video is rendered on the screen) and call trackPlay.
public void onVideoPlay(Observable observable, Object data) {
    _heartbeat.trackPlay();
}

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:

public void onVideoComplete(Observable observable, Object data) {
    _heartbeat.trackComplete();
}

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:

// Closes the media and/or the media completed and unloaded,
// and call trackSessionEnd().
public void onMainVideoUnload(Observable observable, Object data) {
    _heartbeat.trackSessionEnd();
}

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.

Track all possible pause scenarios

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

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.

Identify the event from the player for media play and/or media resume from pause and call trackPlay.

// trackPlay()
public void onVideoPlay(Observable observable, Object data) {
    _heartbeat.trackPlay();
}

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.