I doubt you got a surge.

Was the TV a Samsung by any chance? They had a bad run of "caps" that
exhibited this turn on issue. Most are covered without a warranty though
you may have to push them to do the repair.

IT wasnt a samsung, it was an LG (4.5 years old), However, my son says all indications point to the capacitors.He said they were slighly bulged on top but not leaking.

So since the TV was at least trying to start plus the rest of the stuff was not DOA, is it safe to assume it wasnt a surge but mechanical failure?

No other devices seem to be affected.

Sounds like LG had the same manufacturers brand of Caps in their
power supply. That's not a surge issue.

With your additional information, it is safe to assume it wasn't a surge but component failure.

It's not uncommon to have electrolytic capacitors fail prematurely in the power supplies of many newer products such as flat panel televisions where every penny counts.

Capacitors are selected not only by the value required, but must also be derated based on the voltage and temperature of the application. The inside of the television allows for very little heat dissipation.

Yes, they could use better quality or higher rated components but it would cost more to manufacture - and they don't want to do that!

Bulging caps are failed, leaking or not.