Old VCRs, or Video Cassette Recorders, were a popular form of home entertainment in the 1980s and 1990s. They used magnetic tapes to record and play back audio and video content. The term 'Betas' is an acronym for the Beta format, which was one of the two major formats of VCRs during this time period. Betas were developed by Sony and were the first consumer-level VCRs to be released. They were known for their superior picture quality and sound compared to other VCRs of the time.