If I could give six stars, I would. Allen did a fantastic job repairing (actually, cleaning) my VHS **AND** did it for a very reasonable price. My VHS player now works better than it has in probably 20 years. Thanks again! read more

Allen did everything we asked him to do and more. He dealt with our old DVD/VHS player, and shopped for and connected a new one for us. He is a nice guy, accommodating, and very reasonably priced. We'd be happy to do business with him again. Douglas, Martha, and Eileen Duncan read more

I had an excellent experience with Allen. I was trying to install aa new TV in a downstairs room. He immediately identified my problem (weak Internet signal) and did work around. He was prompt, courteous, and helpful. read more

Excellent work and a reasonable price ! It's been almost 3 months since Allen made a house call to repair my 32" Sony XBR. The TV set is approx 20 years old but was still in excellent condition until it developed a "red screen" problem. The screen would sometime display a perfect picture but sometimes turn all red. I called around to a few repair shops. Most told me that the TV was too old and that parts were no longer available for making repairs. I thought about buying a new flat screen HDTV. But this TV was mostly used for viewing the JADE Channel -- which was not in HD. So, if the price was right, it would still be worthwhile to repair this set. When I called Albany Video Service, Allen was able to come over the next day. He opened up the case and almost immediately recognized the problem to be a poor solder connection. For a total of $95, Allen repaired the "red screen" problem and also fine-tuned the screen focus. The TV screen is good-as-new. An excellent job at a very reasonable price. Thanks Allen. read more

Allen gave me excellent advice (getting a sound bar to circumvent blown TV speakers) despite the fact that he could have done a repair which might have led to the same problem down the road. Much appreciated honesty, even though he didn't have me as a customer this time. However, I will remember that honesty, and definitely use his service in the future when the need arises. read more

Excellent service by someone who really knows what he is doing. AVS doesn't just send it back to the manufacturer and mark-up the cost for every job like some places do, they do many repairs in-house. And if something can't be repaired, they'll tell you, rather than string you along. Professional attitude, fair prices, and Allen (the owner) is an active contributor to the Albany community so supporting AVS helps support Albany. AVS also does home theater installation, and Allen is a consummate pro with many years of experience -- not some teenager who was given a few hours of training and sent off in a company van to do installs. Note: The storefront has closed and all service is by appointment now: in-home for many TV repairs, or pick-up and delivery for small electronics. read more

Awesome experience with Allen. Super responsive, perfectly attentive, capable, generous and kind. Helped straighten out a snarl of cable confusion and derailed tv/video/roku/TiVo process for my parents with efficiency, humor, patience and competence. Allen showed up on time, with a mask and gloves, took care of a confusing problem effectively and efficiently and is a great communicator. Highly recommend! read more

Allen was so helpful when I was trying to figure out what was wrong with our TV. Talked to me on the phone and ended up recommending I order the part myself (since I'd already gotten the back off)...talked me through how to install it , what part I needed and everything. I appreciated him saving us the money of a house call and being honest that I was better off trying it myself for starters, which proved to be true. Highly recommend Allen and his services! read more

Yes, it may seem shady, as I have created a yelp account just to make this review. However, I am a frequent yelp visitor and was disappointed to see the lack of reviews for TV repair in the Berkeley area. I did some searching elsewhere and came upon Albany Video Service through the Berkeley Parents Network. The latest reviews were very out of date, but AVS kept on popping up with positive reviews on other searches I completed, so I gave them a call. All in all, a great experience. Granted, I had a very simple repair (I broke the F-connector, ie the little piece of metal that the cable screws into, off of my TV), so there was less room for major headaches. Nevertheless, I was happy with the service. I called on a Saturday when the repairman, Allen, was out, so I called again on Tuesday (they're closed on Sundays and Mondays), then made an appointment on Friday. When Friday rolled around, Allen came by and took care of the job. (Bit of an aside: I later found out that Allen called me back, though I missed the call, to tell me about a way to watch TV again without having to repair the F-connector. It involves routing the picture from the tuner in a cable box or VCR through the composite inputs on the TV. I had actually tried that solution before, but decided to just go ahead and fix the TV. Good to know they've got honest people there, though.) The cost was reasonable, at $55 for the trip out, including the first half-hour of repair (which was more than enough for my TV). They do free estimates if you bring the TV in, but by virtue of my TV's size and my own lack of a car, I opted for the in-house repair. Allen definitely knew his stuff (I asked him about Plasmas vs. LCDs and he gave me nice primer), and he was forthright about the scale of the job, so you won't be getting any unnecessarily drawn-out repairs. He even manually focused my picture and re-soldered a part of the assembly for no extra cost. In a sentence, if you need your TV repaired, give AVS a call. read more

Apparently, Albany Video Service has closed its storefront, but continues to do in-home repair of CRT televisions. We just had Allen repair two 27-inch Sony sets which had both developed power-related problems. Both knowledgeable and efficient, he fixed both very quickly, and so far they're working perfectly. Given the transition to DTV, and the resultant price drop for used CRT TVs, repairing ones that don't work may or may not be worthwhile, but if it is for you, we highly recommend Allen and Albany Video Service! read more

I have an old 1994 Sony 27-inch XBR TV. It was knocked out by a power surge (I now know to have it connected to a good surge protector). Since it gets light usage and I like its picture quality, I decided to see if it could be repaired at reasonable cost. I called three places and ended up choosing Albany Video Service. Albany Video Service actually consists of one person - Allen Cain. I chose Allen because he was very helpful over the phone, he provided in-home service, and his cost estimate was the lowest. He thought there was a high probability that he could fix my TV, and the charge for the service call if he determined that he could not fix it was reasonable. He also received very good reviews in Checkbook magazine, and his website impressed me. Don't be put off by the fact that he does not have a storefront location or that the answering machine message says that he also represents the Solano Avenue Association - just leave a message. Allen's visit went smoothly and he was able to fix my TV. He seemed technically competent and efficient. I say "seemed" because I am not an electronics repair expert, but I'll describe what I observed. He came with the following tools: a cordless drill/driver, a mulitmeter, an audible continuity tester, a soldering iron, and a mechanical suction device to remove solder when desoldering. These tools helped him to work quickly. Actual repair consists of removing the back of the case, unplugging some wires from the main printed circuit board, removing the board so that both sides can be accessed, identifying and replacing the defective parts (there were several), and putting everything back together. After completing the repair he showed me how to check if picture quality was deteriorating due to age and how to adjust the picture for color, sharpness, contrast and brightness. I highly recommend Allen. He is totally trustworthy regarding his business practices, he is technically experienced and competent, and he is personable and communicative. I also appreciated in-home service; it is a much more positive experience to watch your TV being repaired and to be able to interact with the person repairing it than to take it into a shop and watch it disappear into a back room. read more

If you are unlucky enough to have a 10 year old Toshiba 27" TV that develops its 2nd case of picture troubles, then make sure you're lucky enough to contract with Allen to get it fixed! He has to be one of the nicest people alive! But beyond that, he is amazingly fast, efficient, well-priced, PICKS UP THE BEASTLY BURDEN at your home(!) and did I mention what an incredibly nice fellow he is?! You must call Albany Video Service if you are in need of this kind of electronic help. read more

Our CRT tv lost its vertical raster, so we looked around for a place to repair it. We found Albany Video Service and dragged our huge old (1995) tv to the shop. The repair guy (sorry I forget his name) was very friendly and finished describing our problem before we could say five words. The repair estimate was free, which was a big help since we were deciding whether to repair our set or buy a new one. The repairs did cost more than we were hoping for, but still came in at less than half the cost of a new comparable tv. We had our tv back the next day. They do have a pickup/delivery service (added fee). They'll let you pull into the driveway if you bring your tv in, so parking was super easy. Overall I recommend Albany Video Service. Very friendly and knowledgeable with a quick turnaround. read more

Allen is incredibly helpful and knowledgeable. He explains what he is doing almost step by step and makes sure you can work with your electronics!! We had him hook up our new TV and Cable and DVD and VCR(remember that); he arranged, hooked everything up, made sure it was working properly and took us through it all again. He is reasonable in price and worth double what he charges. Albany Video Service and Allen are HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! read more

While I was in the middle of a project to digitize all of my dance performance videos, my old Sony VCR (which hadn't been ejecting tapes dependably for some time) finally just refused to eject a tape... I am philosophically opposed to buying anything new I don't really truly need (that's exactly how we are trashing the planet!), so I called around and found Allen at Albany Video Service. He doesn't have a storefront, but still does repairs out of his house. I brought the VCR to him on a Friday at noon, and it was done by the following Monday -- he replaced the needed part and cleaned up / tuned up the whole inside of the machine, all for a very low price. I have been told so many times, with so many electronic devices, that "it isn't worth it to try to get it repaired, you could get a new one for less" -- it was such a pleasure to find someone willing to repair my machine, quickly and professionally (and yes, it did end up being much less than a new one would have cost). Thank you Allen! read more