Chosen Solution
My built-in speakers are making a lot of static sound.
I swapped the HDMI connections between the DVD Player and the DirecTV Reciever and the static noise remained. I reset the entire TV to factory defaults and the static noise remained. I then connected the DirecTV Receiver to another separate/different TV and the static noise showed up on that separate/different TV. All of the connections were made via HDMI cable connections. I had also tried disconnecting the power connection from the Panasonic to hopefully get rid of the static noise from the internal speakers. None of these attempts worked until, finally, low and behold, I decided to disconnect the power from the DirecTV Receiver and let it sit for approximately 2 minutes. I reconnected the power to the DirecTV Receiver and reconnected it via HDMI cable to the Panasonic and voila - the static noise from the internal speakers was gone/eliminated! So, the conclusion is that the problem was with the DirecTV Receiver and NOT the Panasonic, after all! Thanks jayeff for all of your suggestions, insight and help!
