a magnetic tape recorder for recording (and playing back) TV programs
"I plugged in my old VCR to record tonight's episode of our favorite show while I went out to dinner."
Abbreviation of videocassette recorder.
"The old VCR in my grandfather's attic still works, though we rarely use it anymore."
In plain English: A VCR is an old machine that lets you play and record videos on tapes.
"We used to record our favorite shows on the VCR before streaming became popular."