Sony KV34XBR800 7 Blinks

I have a Sony KV34XBR800 that I bought in 2002.  Current symptoms are no picture or sound with the standby light blinking 7 times.  From what I've researched on this forum I have the "High voltage shutdown. The high voltage has exceeded 33k and the unit goes immediately into safety shutdown. Check power supply regulation and horizontal circuits." problem.  The problem began intermittently about six months ago but stopped the set altogether shortly before Thanksgiving.  I did the power cycle routine (just tested it this morning by plugging the TV into a different outlet after it had been turned off for about a month).  After doing this latest power cycle the standby light blinked 4 times for two cycles then went back to the "usual" 7 blinks.

I have been a Sony TV "bigot" since all the one's I bought lasted anywhere from 15 - 20 years (one for 25 years!).  This one choked in a little over 5.  Not sure if that's from trying to be one of the first on my block to have a 16:9 HD TV when the first hit the streets but if this repair is expensive I'll definitely be looking anywhere BUT Sony.  They're just too expensive to be replacing or fixing every 5 years.

One other item that may be a factor is the power issues in my building.  Despite being in a 50 story tower in a major metropolitan area, occasionally the lights do "blink"indicating inconsistent power to the building that is not always weather related.  Still, I had "protected my investment" (isn't that the marketing hype?) by investing in a Monster Surge protector for the entire system which the TV has been plugged into since I brought the TV home.  Maybe I need to dig up the surge protector warranty to see what that lifetime warranty really covers.

Not being of means enough for a new TV or an expensive repair, I decided to forgo TV altogether for a high speed Web connection to see what that was like (not bad at all - the web has ENORMOUS content).  Still, I've been exploring TV replacement costs lately and now am in a position to make a fix or buy decision.  I've arranged through the Sony website for a tech visit  (feels a little like asking for the cost of an oil change through a car dealership - isn't likely the best place to go).  If the TV can be repaired at relatively low cost I'll probably do that, but was wondering if anyone had advice on 1) How do I know the technician is doing the right repair vs the most profitable one to keep repair costs reasonable and 2) What kind of cost range can I expect in a repair of this type (a high to low range)?

By the way - this forum has provided more info on the problem than 10 other sites put together.  Thanks to all for that.  Also, kudos to Larry for keeping your cool responding to some real #$%&'s, I know I would of had a wholly different response.