The term VHS alternative refers to technologies that replaced the Video Home System (VHS) as a way to watch movies and television shows. The three most common alternatives are BETA (4 letters), Betamax (7 letters), and DVD (3 letters). BETA was the first consumer video cassette format released in 1975, but it was quickly replaced by Betamax, which was released the same year. Betamax was eventually replaced by the Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) in 1997.