Crackling bass over digital optical cable

Setup:

Source: Streaming Netflix, Cinema Now, & Vudu via ethernet to...
Receiver: LG BD630 Blu-Ray player via HDMI to...
TV: Toshiba 40E210u via optical digital cable to...
Amp: AVR- 1802 / 882

'Speaker blowing' static noise with things like the helicopters in "Apocalypse Now" or the big battle scenes in "Lord of the Rings".

Most movies, probably in the 90% range, sound great. Bright, with good separation and no crackling.

If I connect DVD player direct to amp via digital co-axle (no optical out on player) there is no static. However, I don't think its quite as clear and bright a sound as the digital optical input from TV to amp. Plus, with the optical cable it stays synched with the TV so I can use a little bit of TV volume at lower surround volumes to better hear dialog. There is a delay that creates an echo effect with the co-axle to amp setup.

Distance from DVD / amp / computer station to TV requires 12' of HDMI to TV and 12' of optical back to reciever. Could this distance be the cause of the static?

I've tried to utilize all the different settings on DVD player and TV. At one point I thought I had a combo of settings where I played through "Apocalypse Now" w/o the static. But then I went back in to tweek and since have not been able duplicate those settings, making me wonder if I ever really did 'have it', or if it was just one of those electronic flukes or something...

So, is it the distance or the settings?

Hours of searching for answers brought me to these forums more than once. I did not find the answer but I have learned a few things bouncing around here. I can see and appreciate the wealth of knowledge that resides here!

Many thanks for reading!

Thanks Jeff!

Good to know there's no diff between the coax & toslink signals. I'm down with the placebo effect!

Yeah, I got a center channel speaker & I can crank it up or switch surround modes to hear dialog better at low volumes, but turning up the TV is a little easier. I got DRC turned on on the DVD player but still in Dolby surround mode ( 'PL II' on the Denon), which sounds the best at regular and loud levels, you start to lose the voices at low volume.

I probably should have mentioned, I have my Mac Pro 4,1 hooked to the TV's 2nd HDMI in via the GeForce GTX 670. I can rattle the walls with "Apocalypse Now" helicopters with no static using the computer as source to TV thru HDMI & back to amp using that same toslink. So I guess it isn't the connection, I was thinking that it was the strength of the signal coming from the computer as opposed to that coming from the DVD player streaming from Cinema now or whatever...

Not a very exciting post & I do have a work around, but I'm gonna bump it once because I'm curious, then I'll let it fade into oblivion.

Streaming "Apocalypse Now" from Cinema Now:

Mac to TV using HDMI, TV to Amp via optical cable is good

DVD to Amp using digital co-axle is good

DVD to TV (HDMI), TV to Amp via optical = crackling from low base sounds like the helicopters and explosions

- have used 3 different optical cables (2 12' and one short one)
- have tried 2 HDMI cables
- on DVD I have HDMI set as 'Primary Pass-Thru', Sampling Freq. at 48Hz, DRC is off
- on TV its HDMI audio on 'Auto', and Optical Output Format on Dolby Digital

If I had another TV or DVD I would try it, but as it is, I cant think of any other trouble shooting procedures...

Thx again!