A video cassette recorder — the box that sat under the television before DVDs existed. You pushed a fat plastic cassette of tape into it, and it could do two things: play a film you had bought or rented, and record a TV programme while you were out so you could watch it later.

A video cassette recordervideo cassette recorder（錄影帶錄放影機） the box that sat under the television就是以前放在電視下面的那個盒子 before DVDs existed在DVD出現之前 You pushed a fat plastic cassette of tape into it你把一捲厚厚的塑膠錄影帶推進去 and it could do two things它可以做兩件事 play a film you had bought or rented播放你買的或租的電影 and record a TV programme while you were out還有趁你不在家時錄下電視節目 so you could watch it later讓你之後可以看

That second thing was the reason people loved it; before the VCR, if you missed a programme, it was simply gone. The machine belongs to roughly the 1980s and 1990s, so today the word carries a strong smell of that time, and young people mostly meet it in films rather than in life.

That second thing was the reason people loved it那第二件事就是大家愛它的原因 before the VCR在VCR出現之前 if you missed a programme如果你錯過一個節目 it was simply gone那就真的沒了 The machine belongs to roughly the 1980s and 1990s這個機器大概屬於1980和1990年代 so today the word carries a strong smell of that time所以現在這個字帶著濃濃的那個年代味道 and young people mostly meet it in films rather than in life年輕人多半是在電影裡遇到它而不是生活中

In Britain people more often said "video" or "the video recorder" for the same machine, so VCR sounds slightly more American; both are understood everywhere. Say it letter by letter: vee-see-arr.

In Britain在英國 people more often said 'video' or 'the video recorder' for the same machine大家講同一台機器時比較常說'video'或'the video recorder' so VCR sounds slightly more American所以VCR聽起來比較美式一點 both are understood everywhere這兩種說法到哪裡都聽得懂 Say it letter by letter一個字母一個字母唸 vee-see-arrvee-see-arr

The plural is VCRs, no apostrophe. Note that the machine is the VCR, the tape you put in it is a videotape or a video cassette — a small distinction that matters when you read old writing.

The plural is VCRs複數是VCRs no apostrophe不用撇號 Note that the machine is the VCR要注意機器本身叫VCR the tape you put in it is a videotape or a video cassette放進去的那捲帶子叫videotape或video cassette a small distinction that matters when you read old writing這是讀舊文章時會用到的小分別