Heat Warning Message - Sony WEGA 50"

Hi. I'm new to the board and have a serious (I think ...) problem. Five years ago I bought a new Sony WEGA KDF E50A10 LCD. It was great. Six months after I bought it, I had to put it in storage for four years as I moved overseas and couldn't take it with me. I'm back in the US now and just had the contents of the storage locker delivered to my new home. I plugged in the TV and saw this message: "High Temperature Warning! Check that the ventilation slots are not blocked or clogged with dust. The Temperature is being monitored. Your TV may turn off soon". And sure enough... 20 seconds later, the TV shut itself off. This message is positioned in a blue-grey rectangular box in the middle of the frame.

I immediately downloaded the manual and was advised to take the set to a Sony Service center. Big help. I then took off the back panel and checked the fans; both are running fine. I vacuumed the fans and the vents and everything I could find without any change in the status of the TV. I called a local service tech who told me that it'll cost $120 for the visit, plus $40 if he has to take it back to his shop to work on it. If it needs a new lamp, he quoted me about $200 for the part. The set has been used less than 6 months.

So here are the questions: Is it worth fixing? What do you think is wrong with it?

Sorry for the long post, and thanks for any advice you may offer...

Thanks for the quick response, Servicetech571! Is a heat sensor something I can access and test myself? How much to replace by a tech onsite?

Thanks again...

Yeah, the power light blinks red twice in a row, waits a second or three, then repeats. This happens several times (perhaps 10?... didn't count...), and then it stops.

I'm thinking it's not worth the expense to repair if the cost to repair is more than $200. I can get a new samsung plasma 50" set for $600...

Advice is most welcome...