ApsaraVideo VOD:Integrate the short-form drama solution for Android

1. Integrate the license for the authorized ApsaraVideo Player SDK.

   For more information, see Integrate a license.

2. Copy the AUIShortVideoList module to your project directory.

3. In your project's root settings.gradle file, add Alibaba Cloud's Maven repository:

   Groovy DSL

   repositories {
      // aliyun maven
      maven { url "https://maven.aliyun.com/repository/releases" }
   }

   Kotlin DSL

   repositories {
      // aliyun maven
      maven("https://maven.aliyun.com/repository/releases")
   }

4. Add the module reference and dependency.

   • To add a module reference, add the following content to the settings.gradle file in the project's root directory:

     Groovy DSL

     // If the AUIShortVideoList module is in the AUIPlayerKits folder:
     include ':AUIPlayerKits:AUIShortVideoList'
     // If the AUIShortVideoList module is in the project's root directory:
     include ':AUIShortVideoList'

     Kotlin DSL

     // If the AUIShortVideoList module is in the AUIPlayerKits folder:
     include(":AUIPlayerKits:AUIShortVideoList")
     // If the AUIShortVideoList module is in the project's root directory:
     include(":AUIShortVideoList")

   • To add a module dependency, add the following content to the build.gradle file of the app module:

     Groovy DSL

     // If the AUIShortVideoList module is in the AUIPlayerKits folder:
     implementation project(':AUIPlayerKits:AUIShortVideoList')
     // If the AUIShortVideoList module is in the project's root directory:
     implementation project(':AUIShortVideoList')

     Kotlin DSL

     // If the AUIShortVideoList module is in the AUIPlayerKits folder:
     implementation(project(":AUIPlayerKits:AUIShortVideoList"))
     // If the AUIShortVideoList module is in the project's root directory:
     implementation(project(":AUIShortVideoList"))

5. Build and run the project to ensure the component is integrated correctly.

   Note

   1. After integration, it is recommended to create a git commit. This saves the latest commit ID of the component, providing a crucial reference point for future updates and a clear record of code changes.

   2. For integration issues, see Integration FAQ.

you can use the AUIShortVideoList component in one of three ways:

• AUIShortVideoListActivity

  You can start this Activity directly. For the specific call logic, see the following example. To get the videoInfoListJSON data, see Retrieve data.

  Java

  // TODO: context is android context
  Intent intent = new Intent(context, AUIShortVideoListActivity.class);
  // TODO: videoInfoListJSON is the serialized string of List<VideoInfo>
  intent.putExtra(AUIShortVideoListView.KEY_VIDEO_INFO_LIST_DATA, videoInfoListJSON);
  startActivity(intent);

  Kotlin

  // TODO: context is android context
  val intent = Intent(context, AUIShortVideoListActivity::class.java)
  // TODO: videoInfoListJSON is the serialized string of List<VideoInfo>
  intent.putExtra(AUIShortVideoListView.KEY_VIDEO_INFO_LIST_DATA, videoInfoListJSON)
  startActivity(intent)

• AUIShortVideoListFragment

  You can embed this Fragment within your own Activity or another Fragment. For the specific call logic, see the following example:

  1. In your XML layout, add a FrameLayout to host the Fragment:

     <FrameLayout
         android:id="@+id/fragment_container"
         android:layout_width="match_parent"
         android:layout_height="match_parent" />

  2. Initialize the Fragment and add it to the container.

     Java

     @Override
     protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
         super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
         if (savedInstanceState == null) {
             AUIShortVideoListFragment fragment = new AUIShortVideoListFragment();
             Bundle bundle = new Bundle();
             // TODO: videoInfoListJSON is the serialized string of List<VideoInfo>
             bundle.putString(AUIShortVideoListView.KEY_VIDEO_INFO_LIST_DATA, videoInfoListJSON);
             fragment.setArguments(bundle);
             getSupportFragmentManager()
                     .beginTransaction()
                     .replace(R.id.fragment_container, fragment)
                     .commit();
         }
     }

     Kotlin

     override fun onCreate(savedInstanceState: Bundle?) {
         super.onCreate(savedInstanceState)
         if (savedInstanceState == null) {
             val fragment = AUIShortVideoListFragment()
             val bundle = Bundle()
             // TODO: videoInfoListJSON is the serialized string of List<VideoInfo>
             bundle.putString(AUIShortVideoListView.KEY_VIDEO_INFO_LIST_DATA, videoInfoListJSON)
             fragment.arguments = bundle
             supportFragmentManager
                 .beginTransaction()
                 .replace(R.id.fragment_container, fragment)
                 .commit()
         }
     }

• AUIShortVideoListView

  You can use this View component directly to build a custom immersive playback page. For the specific call logic, see the following example:

  1. Add the View component to your XML layout:

     <!--  1. Add the short video list View component  -->
     <com.alivc.player.playerkits.shortvideolist.AUIShortVideoListView
         android:id="@+id/aui_video_list_view"
         android:layout_width="match_parent"
         android:layout_height="match_parent" />

  2. In your code, get a reference to the View and set its List<VideoInfo> data source.

     Java

     // 2. Declaration of Short Video List View
     private AUIShortVideoListView mShortVideoListView;
     mShortVideoListView = findViewById(R.id.aui_video_list_view);
     
     // 3. TODO: Retrieve data and fill it into videoInfoList
     List<VideoInfo> videoInfoList;
     
     // 4. Add List<VideoInfo> type data source to Short Video List View
     mShortVideoListView.addSources(videoInfoList);
     // mShortVideoListView.loadSources(videoInfoList);

     Kotlin

     // 2. Declaration of Short Video List View
     private lateinit var mShortVideoListView: AUIShortVideoListView
     mShortVideoListView = findViewById(R.id.aui_video_list_view)
     
     // 3. TODO: Retrieve data and fill it into videoInfoList
     val videoInfoList: List<VideoInfo>
     
     // 4. Add List<VideoInfo> type data source to Short Video List View
     mShortVideoListView.addSources(videoInfoList)
     // mShortVideoListView.loadSources(videoInfoList)

The AUIShortVideoList component uses the List<VideoInfo> data structure. VideoInfo is a data class that stores video information. The data structure is as follows:

To ensure that the AUIShortVideoList component runs correctly, you must pass the serialized List<VideoInfo> string in the Bundle.

intent.putExtra(AUIShortVideoListView.KEY_VIDEO_INFO_LIST_DATA, videoInfoListJSON);

You can obtain the final List<VideoInfo> data source through a network request or by transforming local data, and then serialize it into a JSON string.

• Network request

  Java

  AUIShortVideoListUtil.requestVideoInfoList(new AUIShortVideoListUtil.OnNetworkCallBack<List<VideoInfo>>() {
      @Override
      public void onResponse(List<VideoInfo> videoInfoList) {
          if (videoInfoList == null || videoInfoList.isEmpty()) {
              // TODO: Request video info list error!
              return;
          }
          String videoInfoListJSON = AUIShortVideoListUtil.serializeVideoInfoListToJson(videoInfoList);
          // TODO: Use videoInfoList or videoInfoListJSON...
      }
  });

  Kotlin

  AUIShortVideoListUtil.requestVideoInfoList(object : AUIShortVideoListUtil.OnNetworkCallBack<List<VideoInfo?>?> {
      override fun onResponse(videoInfoList: List<VideoInfo?>?) {
          if (videoInfoList.isNullOrEmpty()) {
              // TODO: Request video info list error!
              return
          }
          val videoInfoListJSON = AUIShortVideoListUtil.serializeVideoInfoListToJson(videoInfoList)
          // TODO: Use videoInfoList or videoInfoListJSON...
      }
  })

• Data conversion

  Java

  ArrayList<VideoInfo> videoInfoList = AUIShortVideoListUtil.assembleVideoInfoList();
  if (videoInfoList == null || videoInfoList.isEmpty()) {
      // TODO: Assemble video info list error!
      return;
  }
  String videoInfoListJSON = AUIShortVideoListUtil.serializeVideoInfoListToJson(videoInfoList);
  // TODO: Use videoInfoList or videoInfoListJSON...

  Kotlin

  val videoInfoList = AUIShortVideoListUtil.assembleVideoInfoList()
  if (videoInfoList.isNullOrEmpty()) {
      // TODO: Assemble video info list error!
      return
  }
  val videoInfoListJSON = AUIShortVideoListUtil.serializeVideoInfoListToJson(videoInfoList)
  // TODO: Use videoInfoList or videoInfoListJSON...

Black screen or other playback issues

Check your ApsaraVideo Player SDK license configuration. For more information, see Integrate a license.

Compilation or runtime errors

1. Ensure that the configurations in the module, such as compileSdkVersion, buildToolsVersion, minSdkVersion, and targetSdkVersion, are consistent with your main project's settings.

2. If your project already contains the same third-party library, adjust the version number in the module to ensure compatibility and avoid conflicts.

Playback fails on an emulator

The ApsaraVideo Player SDK for Android does not support running on emulators. After integration, you must test on a physical device.

Error: "Namespace not specified"

Check your Android Gradle Plugin (AGP) version. If you use a later version, such as 8.3.2, you must manually add the namespace setting in each module's build.gradle file. In earlier AGP versions, this configuration is in the package attribute of the module's /src/main/res/AndroidManifest.xml file.

Gradle conflict when handling repository priority

Declare the repository in the settings.gradle file first.

Short-form drama theater

Overview

Integration

How to use

// TODO: context is android context
Intent intent = new Intent(context, AUIShortDramaListActivity.class);
startActivity(intent);

// TODO: context is android context
val intent = Intent(context, AUIShortDramaListActivity::class.java)
startActivity(intent)

Retrieve data

Short-form drama feeds

Overview

Integration

How to use

// TODO: context is android context
Intent intent = new Intent(context, AUIShortDramaFeedsActivity.class);
startActivity(intent);

// TODO: context is android context
val intent = Intent(context, AUIShortDramaFeedsActivity::class.java)
startActivity(intent)

Retrieve data

Preloading

Using a sliding window strategy, the component dynamically starts and stops preloading tasks for videos. The underlying SDK intelligently adjusts task priority based on network conditions to ensure the currently playing video and upcoming videos receive more network resources. This improves start-up speed and reduces buffering, providing a smooth experience even when scrolling quickly. For more, see Preloading.

Pre-rendering

The component pre-renders the first frame of upcoming videos in the background, reducing black screens and making playback feel seamless. Starting from V6.16.0, the Player SDK supports forced pre-rendering. For more, see Pre-rendering.

Multi-instance player pool

A globally shared, configurable player instance pool is implemented. Through optimized API calls and thread resource management, it achieves optimal performance and resource efficiency in terms of thread management, CPU utilization, and memory usage. This optimization reduces lag during scrolling, making the playback experience smoother.

Picture-in-Picture with auto-play next episode

Using an independent player instance for the floating window ensures continuous rendering when switching episodes. This achieves a seamless, non-disruptive viewing experience and is an engineered implementation of the best practices for PiP playback.

HTTPDNS

HTTPDNS provides faster and more stable DNS resolution. By replacing traditional DNS, it reduces lookup times, improving video loading speed and stability. Since V6.12.0, HTTPDNS is enabled by default. For more, see HTTPDNS.

Video encryption

Short-form dramas are typically 1-3 minute MP4 videos. Since V6.8.0, the Player SDK supports proprietary MP4 encryption, providing security for your video content. For more information, see How to play encrypted videos.

To play a privately encrypted MP4 video, the following conditions must be met:

• When the privately encrypted MP4 video is passed to the player, the application must append etavirp_nuyila=1 to the video URL. For example, if the original video URL is https://example.aliyundoc.com/test.mp4, the URL passed to the player must be https://example.aliyundoc.com/test.mp4?etavirp_nuyila=1.

• The UID associated with your app's license must be the same as the UID used to encrypt the MP4 video.

You can verify a privately encrypted video as follows:

• The meta information must contain the AliyunPrivateKeyUri tag.

• The video cannot be played directly with ffplay.

H.265 adaptive playback

If hardware decoding of an H.265 stream fails and an H.264 backup stream is available, the player will automatically switch to the H.264 stream. If no backup is available, it will fall back to software decoding for H.265. For more, see H.265 adaptive playback.

Adaptive bitrate (ABR) streaming

The Player SDK supports adaptive bitrate streaming for HLS and DASH. You can switch bitrates by calling the player's selectTrack method, enabling automatic video quality adjustment based on network conditions. For more information, see Adaptive bitrate switching.

Screen recording prevention

This feature protects your video content by monitoring for screen recording and screenshot actions and stopping playback if they are detected, effectively preventing unauthorized recording and distribution.

// Android-specific feature to prevent screen recording and screenshots in the app
getWindow().setFlags(WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE, WindowManager.LayoutParams.FLAG_SECURE);