Is this dust on the sensor?

[Karl Engel]

I have a 5+ yo Sony miniDV cam, TRV33. Lately I've been getting odd horizontal bands of lighter or darker colour on the screen (& viewfinder), often associated with light sources. Today I was filming my daughter dancing next to the TV, and the brightness of the TV was causing light horizontal streaks that extended beyond the side of the TV and over her. Sure it's getting old, but rather than just tossing it I'm wondering if this is a known phenomenon, like perhaps the effect of dust on the sensor, that could perhaps be fixed with a service less expensive than buying a new unit.

[Karl Engel]

4 Examples http://www.flickr.com/photos/39354678@N07/?saved=1