The term 'DVDs' precursors' refers to the technology that preceded DVDs. The most common answer to this crossword puzzle is 'TAPES, ' which refers to VHS TAPES, the most popular format for home video before the introduction of DVDs in 1997. VHS TAPES were first released in 1976 and quickly became the dominant format for home video, offering a much higher quality than the previous formats such as Betamax. VHS TAPES remained popular until the introduction of DVDs, which offered even higher quality and more features.