Integrating Video Analytics real-time video tracking into a 3rd-party
(non-PSDK-based) video player involves implementing the interface to your player, and
handling video heartbeat events in the player.
The basic steps for a developer integrating Video Analytics real-time video tracking
(video heartbeat) into a 3rd-party video player are as follows:
- Acquire the required libraries from your Adobe representative, and incorporate
them into your project:
- AppMeasurement library - Contains the low-level data collection
core logic. This is where the video heartbeat data is accumulated and
sent over the network.
- video heartbeat library - Contains the video heartbeat data
collection core logic. This is where all of the real-time video tracking
takes place. The video heartbeat library uses the AppMeasurement module
in the sense that it needs access to a subset of its APIs, and delegates
some work to it.
- VisitorID library (For Desktop apps only) - Uniquely labels the
user of the web page hosting the video player.
One key (logistical) difference between integrating with a 3rd-party
player versus an Adobe PSDK-based player is that you must acquire these
video tracking libraries from your Adobe representative, as opposed to
receiving them bundled into the PSDK.
- Acquire your video tracking account information from your Adobe
representative:
- AppMeasurement tracking server endpoint - The URL of the Adobe
Analytics (formerly SiteCatalyst) back-end collection end-point.
- video heartbeat tracking server endpoint - The URL of the video
heartbeat back-end collection end-point.
- Account name - Also known as the Report Suite ID (RSID)
- Visitor namespace (Desktop only) - This is a string value
required for instantiating the Visitor component.
- Visitor tracking server endpoint - The URL of the back-end
endpoint providing the unique "label" for the current user (Desktop
only).
- Complete the following integration work within your player:
- Handle video tracking events - Listen for the events issued by
the player object and call the corresponding track method exposed by the
video heartbeat library's public API. For a listing of events and their
corresponding methods, see Player Events / Video Tracking Event Handlers.
- Implement the IVideoHeartbeatPlayerDelegate interface - Properly
implementing this player delegate interface is crucial for obtaining a
robust video tracking solution. For details on what this player delegate
is for, and on how to implement it, see Get Computations From the Video Player.
Note: The implementation depends greatly on the specifics of the video
player application that the video heartbeat library is being integrated
with. The application developer needs to have intimate knowledge about the
video player application. The developer must know and understand the
mechanisms through which the video player issues notifications about the
events that take place during playback. The assumption made here is that the
video player is capable of triggering a series of events through which any
subscriber can be informed about what happens inside the video player
itself.
- Initialize and configure the video tracking libraries on your platform:
- Set up reporting on the server side:
- Access the Adobe Analytics Admin Tools to set your reporting
parameters
- Also in Admin Tools, set up a video heartbeat configuration file
For details, see Set Up Video Analytics
Reporting on the Server-side.
- Access the reports on the real-time dashboard. For details, see Access Video Analytics
Reports.