If you haven’t had an Amazon Fire Stick home entertainment experience you are missing out. Especially if you love watching movies from the comfort of your home and you’d like to have a better sound from your TV. Well, there is an inexpensive and super-easy way of achieving all that if you have a home theater system.
For a better audio experience from your TV you need to know how to connect Amazon fire stick Trusted Source 'What is an Amazon Fire TV Stick?': Amazon's portable but powerful streaming device, explained | Business Insider Africa Read the latest news across entertainment, sports, business and more. Be first to receive exclusive updates with your free subscription straight to your phone. – Pulse Ghana africa.businessinsider.com to a home theater system. The Amazon fire stick lets you turn your TV into a smart TV which you can then connect to your surround sound system. As with any type of connection, you might face a few challenges, but we have provided some useful hacks and tips that you can use to get out of trouble and get your connection right. If you have an older home theater system, fret not because there is a way for you too.
The Amazon Fire stick is the most affordable in Amazon’s streaming media player family. It is pretty similar to Roku streaming stick. It looks like an oversized USB flash drive and you can plug it into your TV’s HDMI video input directly. However, it doesn’t store files like a USB flash drive.
It is a streaming video player with loads of features that can turn any TV with an HDMI port into a smart TV. The fire stick is free to use and you can download nearly all the major apps for free as well. You will only need to pay for subscription apps like Netflix and Hulu.
Essentially, you can get thousands of streaming channels with the fire stick. From the ones you are familiar with like HBO, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix to the least famous niche ones.
The Fire stick comes in 2 versions; the basic and the 4K versions. The main difference between them is the 4K’s ability to stream in 4K resolution. The original version only sends a standard 1080p high definition. Plus, the 4K version is costlier than the basic version.
The Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device is one Amazon fire stick that has rave reviews by users and experts. It is Amazon’s most powerful streaming media stick. It comes with Alexa voice remote and you get to enjoy brilliant pictures with access to 4K ultra HD.
Also featured, is a remote control with a built-in microphone for voice control. As you’d expect, it has Alexa support. You can give it commands using Alexa.
Setting up the fire stick is a breeze. All you have to do is plug it into its supplied power adapter and then plug it into your TV’s HDMI video input. Next, turn your TV on then set it to the correct HDMI input.
You can use the remote control to go through the entire welcome and setup session on your screen. You will be required to enter your Wi-Fi password, then log into your Amazon account. When the setup is complete, you can add and log into the channels you need to use.
Connecting an Amazon fire stick to your home theater system isn’t brain surgery. You can breeze through the entire process in a just a few minutes. Here is a step by step guide that you can follow for a successful connection;-
First off, establish that your home theater system has a video pass-through and it is turned ON. For a connection between the Amazon fire stick and your surround sound speakers, you will need a HDMI cable to connect the stick to the amplifier or receiver of your surround speakers.
Plug the Amazon fire stick directly into the home theater system. You can check the back of your receiver to locate the HDMI port. When the connection is complete, the receiver will route the video content signal to the TV directly from the Fire stick. The audio, on the other hand, stays in the receiver.
The connection also allows you to decode surround sound compatibility directly like you would without a fire stick plugged.
In case your receiver doesn’t have a HDMI port, you have no choice but to use the HDMI extender. Luckily, the Amazon Fire stick comes with the extender. You’d only need to connect it to the input port that all receivers come with.
The best thing about using a HDMI extender is that it allows you to place the Fire stick far from other electronics. This means it can get even better Wi-Fi signals and offer you high-quality viewing.
In case you lose your HDMI extender, you can always get another one on Amazon.
After you are done with the setup, you should configure your Fire stick properly. Check that your Wi-Fi connection is stable and your home theater is ON. A proper configuration would involve creating an Amazon account if you don’t have one, going through the parental settings for your kids’ sake, and downloading appropriate apps for a better experience.
This is another challenge you might face when trying to connect an Amazon Fire stick to a home theater. As most old home theaters are designed to only send HDMI inputs to the TV, you can try plugging your Fire stick to the TV first, instead of the receiver of your surround sound system. You can then use a digital or coaxial cable to connect to the receiver.
If your home theater is too old, it probably has analog video ports. Alternatively, you can use a HDMI to Composite AV Converter for Amazon Fire Streaming Stick to convert your Fire stick’s digital signals to analog signals. This will allow you to connect the fire stick to your analog home theater, but you’ll still need to use the HDMI extender.
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Once the setup is done, you get to your most anticipated moment. It’s time to watch something with your Fire Stick. The Fire stick is often mistaken to be a remote control by many. On the contrary, it is a digital media storage system that you can control remotely.
Here are the 3 main ways of maneuvering the Amazon fire stick:
There are moments when you never feel like opening your mouth to say anything. Especially when you just get out of bed in the morning. Luckily, the Alexa-enable remote control that the Amazon fire stick comes with can be used as a regular remote control.
For days you don’t feel talkative, you can locate the menu ring under the voice button. Net to it, are the basic Volume controls, Home, Rewind, and Back buttons that function like those of a regular remote control.
All fire sticks come with a voice-enabled remote control. This allows you to control it by using voice commands. The remote control features a built-in mic and a voice button which is conveniently located at its top.
You can also download a Fire TV control app on your phone, or tablet to operate the Fire stick. There are numerous apps on Google play store for android users and Apple store for iPhone users.
The main screen on a Fire TV control app is basically just a touch-and-swipe control panel that should help you navigate through content. The secondary icons on the app are exactly similar to those on your remote control. They include; voice button, home, and playback controls. It’s very straightforward.
And now, the icing on the cake! If you already have Alexa-controlled devices in your home, you can pair them with your Fire stick. This allows the Fire stick to be part of your smart home system. Cool, Yes?
You can check the manufacturer’s instructions on your user manual for a step-to-step guide on how to set it all up.
There are much easier and easily accessible options for controlling your Amazon Fire TV stick if you lose your remote control. One; you can download a control app on your phone or tablet, log in, and use it to navigate and control the Fire stick. Alternatively, you can connect it to your Echo devices and use Alexa to control it.
Your fire TV audio can get out of sync when there is a technical glitch. You can solve this by restarting the stick. Go to settings, and choose ‘My Fire TV’ there should be a ‘Restart’ option. Click on it to restore the Fire stick back to normal.
Yes. You don’t have to rely on your TV’s built-in speakers alone for a dope home theater setup. All you have to do is switch on both your TV and Amazon fire stick. Next go to your Fire stick’s settings and select ‘Controllers and Bluetooth Devices’. Click on it and choose ‘Other Bluetooth Devices’.
Set your Bluetooth speaker in pairing mode, then find it under ‘discovered devices’ on your Fire stick’s Bluetooth settings. Click on it and wait to hear a successful pairing confirmation.
You can enjoy the thrill of being in the movies at the comfort of your home when you know how to connect an Amazon TV Fire stick to your home theater system. The process is pretty straightforward. Provided you establish correctly, that your home theater is compatible with the Amazon Fire stick.
Even if it’s not, you can always get a HDMI extender to convert the digital signals to analog signals. You also won’t need to spend a fortune for the connection. All you need is the Fire stick and the HDMI extension cord if your home theater system is too old. If you don’t already have a home theater, be sure to invest in the best up-to-date unit. The Klipsch RP-5000F 7.1 Home Theater system is one of the most acclaimed home theaters out there. It is a prime pick for many because it produces the cleanest most natural sound.
