I've read that VCR's will still be around for a long time. They still have not come up with something suitable, in the way of DVD's, to put a disc in, record, watch, erase, and start the whole process again. Many satellite companies now have the ability to "tape" programs into one's system, but not everyone has satellite (scores of millions don't - I don't; I have cable). When DS was on Sci-Fi, I taped it every day and watched it later at a convenient time (and fast-forwarded through the commercials). I used the same tape for years, recording, watching, rewinding, re-recording. You can't do that with a DVD player (and that's a good term for it - all it does is play instead of work).
Gerard