A receiver has the HDMI port that a Fire TV stick can plug into. But, I was wondering whether you can plug a Fire TV stick into it. I did some research and here’s what I found.
So, can you plug a Fire TV stick into the receiver? Plugging a Fire TV stick into an HDMI port in your receiver will work the same as if you plugged it directly into the TV. Always remember when you want to watch your Fire TV stick you need to change the channel on your TV to the HDMI port that your receiver is plugged into.
Getting it to play may need a few tweaks here and there. So, below I will cover everything you need to know to get it working. And other helpful tips about using your Fire TV stick with your surround sound system.
How Do You Plug A Fire TV Stick Into The Receiver?
Each receiver is a little bit different but they all have HDMI ports which you plug in different devices you might be using. Such as a Blu Ray player, Xbox, and/or Playstation. These HDMI ports are also what you plug your Fire TV stick into.
I’ll start with a brief high-level overview of how a Fire TV stick works with a receiver and a TV to make it easier when you’re actually trying to plug it all in and get it working. After that, I’ll give you exact step by step instructions for how to plug in your Fire TV stick in the receiver and getting it all working.
How the Connections On Your Fire TV Work
As you may know, the Fire TV stick connects to the internet and streams video. The video and audio signal that the Fire TV stick gets is sent through the HDMI port and then gets played by your TV.
So, whether you send the audio and video signal directly into your TV through your receiver and then into your TV it always has to go through an HDMI port.
The receiver simply splits the signal between the different speakers that you have plugged into the receiver. Most receivers also come with about 5 HDMI ports, and TVs only usually have 2. Which is easier because you don’t have to unplug any devices you are using when switching between them.
For example, you don’t have to unplug your Blu Ray player when you want to play your Xbox. You can leave all your devices plugged in and on standby.
1. Start by locating a free HDMI port at the back of your receiver
At the back of your receiver, you will have some HDMI ports. They can be labeled HDMI but some aren’t. If it’s not labeled you can tell by looking at its shape. The HDMI power cord has a characteristic shape that is easy to tell apart from the other ports on your receiver.
It will also be the only port that looks like the FireTV stick will plug into. Some receivers will have the HDMI ports on the front but these are very rare.
2. Plug your Fire TV stick into the HDMI port and connect the power
Next, plug your Fire TV stick into the HDMI port. And plug the power adapter into a free power outlet. You can also use a USB cable and plug it into a USB port on your TV. But, this type of cable doesn’t come with the Fire TV stick, and you’ll have to buy it separately.
They are quite common and you might have one lying around your house. It will have a micro USB end and a USB end. The micro USB end goes into the Fire TV stick and you plug the USB end into your TV.
However, older TVs will have older USB ports that don’t supply enough power. Whereas, most modern TVs have USB ports that will work with your Fire TV stick. For more information about how to use a USB port to power your Fire TV stick, I wrote a guide on how it all works.
You can read it by clicking here: Can You Power a Fire TV Stick with a TV’s USB Port?. If you didn’t use a sound system and were just using your TV speakers then you would plug your Fire TV stick into the HDMI port on your TV.
3. Switch Your TV To Your Receiver Input
Your TV will have all the different channels that are built in, and different channels for the different ports that it has – HDMI, and USB.
To watch your Fire TV stick you need to change the channel to the HDMI port. And it has to be the one that you plugged your Fire TV stick into. They will be channels HDM1, HDM2 on your TV. Depending on how many HDMI ports you have on your receiver. You will have HDMI channels for all the different HDMI ports you have.
It’s a bit harder to test which port it is because it’s coming through the receiver. And your receiver needs to be on the right channel for it to work.
But, to test it you can unplug your Fire TV stick from the receiver, and then plug it directly into your TVs HDMI port. And make a note of which HDMI channel that port is. For example, HDMI1. If you’re really lucky the HDMI ports on the back of your TV will be labelled. But, this often now how they are.
If they aren’t labelled you’ll have to try them all to see which HDMI channel it is.
To do this plug your Fire TV stick straight into your TV, wait for it to turn on, and then try all the different HDMI channels on your TV using your remote until you find the channel that shows the Fire TV stick on the screen.
Then note down which HDMI channel it is on your smartphone or a piece of paper. Then continue on to the next step where you make sure the output channel that your receiver is on, is the one that is going to your TV.
4. Turn your receiver output to the Fire TV stick
Receivers can have a few output HDMI ports. This is the place you plug a cord that goes from your receiver to your TV. On some receivers you’ll need to change the output channel to the HDMI port you want to watch.
Because sometimes you will have your receiver plugged into a TV and another cable going to a projector. So, that you can play one is on your Fire TV stick to either your TV or your projector. So, you have to change the output channel to tell it whether you want to display the Fire TV stick screen to your projector or your TV.
Each model of receiver is a bit different so I would look at your user manual for your specific receiver.
If you don’t have one you can find one online. Just look for the model number on your receiver and the brand and search in Google for the brand and model number and put manual PDF at the end.
Something like: ‘Sony 550 Receiver manual pdf’. This will bring it up usually if you’re having a hard time finding it I would contact the customer support team for your specific receiver.
Conclusion
You can definitely plug in a Fire TV stick to a receiver. The Fire TV stick needs to be plugged into the HDMI port on your receiver. It also needs to be plugged into a power supply. You can do that by plugging it into the wall using a power adapter.
You can also plug it into a USB port using a micro USB to USB cable. But, not all USB ports are compatible with a Fire TV stick.