Imo, there's no almost no point in upgrading TV unless you can take advantage of 4k (which most people don't) or want a bigger TV but that's another discussion.
A quick Google search says this company (
TV Repair, All Brands, Free In Home Estimate Serving All of Vancouver Lower Mainland) is a pretty good repair shop. I don't have experience with them, but there's no harm in getting a repair quote from them. But you're right that it does seem to be a waste to throw out the TV when the problem could potentially be a small one.