Track core playback using JavaScript 2.x

The following instructions provide guidance for implementation across 2.x 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

   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:

   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:

   Constant Name	Description
   Audio	Media type for Audio streams.
   Video	Media type for Video streams.

   var mediaObject =
     MediaHeartbeat.createMediaObject(<MEDIA_NAME>,
                                     <MEDIA_ID,
                                     <MEDIA_LENGTH>,
                                     MediaHeartbeat.StreamType.VOD,
                                     <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 JavaScript

     NOTE

     Attaching the standard metadata object to the media object is optional.

     • Media metadata keys API Reference - Standard metadata keys - JavaScript

       See the comprehensive set of available metadata here: Audio and video parameters

   • Custom metadata

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

     /* Set custom context data */
     var customVideoMetadata = {
         isUserLoggedIn: "false",
         tvStation: "Sample TV station",
         programmer: "Sample programmer"
     };
     

3. Track the intention to start playback

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

   mediaHeartbeat.trackSessionStart(mediaObject, customVideoMetadata);
   

   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 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 metadata, simply send an empty object for the data argument in trackSessionStart, as shown in the commented out line in the iOS example above.

4. Track the actual start of playback

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

   mediaHeartbeat.trackPlay();
   

5. Track the completion of playback

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

   mediaHeartbeat.trackComplete();
   

6. Track the end of the session

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

   mediaHeartbeat.trackSessionEnd();
   

   IMPORTANT

   trackSessionEnd marks the end of a 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 tracking session.

7. Track all possible pause scenarios

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

   mediaHeartbeat.trackPause();
   

   Pause Scenarios

   Identify any scenario in which the media 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 play and/or resume from pause and call trackPlay:

   mediaHeartbeat.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 playback resumes.

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