Ok, I know this may sound strange, but it worked for me.
I've tried all the other recommended workarounds; manual unpack and FTP, editing ini files, watching movies.. I haven't tried DVDR yet, but that was next on my list.
What DID work for me, is to use the EvoX debug telnet mode and freeze the game just as the droid gets hit. Unfreeze. Freeze. Unfreeze.. And then it loaded and continued. From this I gather that indeed the bug is related to the difference in loading between HD and DVD; perhaps the fact that it's trying to stream music from the cached HD while it loads a new level from DVD and the two clash.. or.. whatnot.. I don't know, but I know I finally got past it. Wahoo!