About ARD Recorder
ARD Recorder is a self-hosted, community-driven tool for recording German public radio (ARD) audio and video streams. It is built around a collaborative workflow: anyone can suggest a stream to record, other users vote, and editors approve. Multiple "edge" hosts record in parallel for redundancy, and downloads use BitTorrent in the browser to spread bandwidth across users.
Why this exists
Time-shifted listening is normal for video (DVRs, podcasts) but unevenly served for live radio. ARD broadcasts a lot of one-off content — talk shows, sport commentary, Hörspiel, special events — that doesn't always end up in the official Audiothek for long, or that European listeners miss because of work hours, commute, or time zones.
Who it's for
- Listeners who want to time-shift live radio
- Small groups who pool resources to record events together
- Technical operators who want to run their own instance