Can I Connect a Fire Stick to a TV Without HDMI?

Old TV? Fire Stick? The two don’t sound great together, especially not when the TV does not have an HDMI port.

Well, that is not to say you should throw out your old TV.  At least, not yet, because there’s a way to make it work with your Fire Stick.

It’s a simple connection that anyone can make. Best of all, you can use it to connect your Fire Stick to any older TV.

Keep reading to learn how.

Can I Connect a Fire Stick to a TV Without HDMI?

Yes, you can connect the Fire Stick to a TV without HDMI.

All versions of the Fire Stick connect directly to HDMI ports, meaning your TV should have an HDMI port for you to connect it directly to the Fire Stick.

So, to connect a Fire Stick to a TV that does not have an HDMI port, you will need to use a converter. The converter will change the signal from HDMI to the signal format your TV uses.

Does a Fire Stick Need an HDMI port?

Yes, a Fire Stick requires an HDMI port. It will not work if connected to any other port.

For some people, confusion about which port to use arises because the Fire Stick also has a micro USB port. It’s not unusual to think, “Oh, it has a USB connector. It must be a plug-and-play device.”

No, it isn’t.

Even though the Fire Stick resembles a USB device, its micro USB component only works as a charging port. 

If you plug the USB cable into the Fire Stick and then plug the cable into the TV via the USB port, the Fire Stick will begin to charge. 

But the TV will not recognize it as a USB device. 

For the stick to work, you must plug it into the HDMI port. Only then will the TV recognize it as an HDMI device.

You can then use your TV remote to select the HDMI input which you plugged the Stick into. Do this from the source menu, where the ports appear as HDMI1, HDMI2, et cetera.

There’s an HDMI extender that comes with the Fire Stick. Use it if you don’t want to plug the Fire Stick into the TV directly. Amazon recommends using the HDMI extender, arguing that it improves Wi-Fi reception.

How Do I Connect My Fire Stick to My Older TV Without HDMI?

First, determine the input options for your TV. Older TVs use DVI, component video, S-Video, or composite video.

Second, get an adapter/converter that can convert the signal from HDMI to the signal format of your TV — a converter that corresponds to the input option you’ve identified above. 

Use the adapter to link your TV to the Fire Stick. 

The procedure for connecting a Fire Stick to a TV with any of these ports is the same. The only thing that will be different is the type of converter.

Connecting a Fire Stick to Your TV Using an HDMI to DVI converter

DVI is identical to HDMI in that they transmit the same digital video signal. However, their ports and connectors are different in shape.

So, the Fire Stick will not fit into your TV’s DVI port. And even if it could, DVI does not carry audio and would transmit video only.

The best way to overcome this hurdle is with an HDMI-to-DVI adapter. Make sure the adapter pulls both video and audio and has audio out-ports which you can plug your audio cable into. 

Last update on 2023-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.

The best of these converters support digital and analog audio channels. With these kinds of converters, you can connect the audio to your TV, external speakers, or your home theater.

Avoid DVI converters that do not include audio because they will only output video, you would end up with images but no sound.

Connect a Fire Stick to Your TV Using a Component to HDMI Converter

Before HDMI took over the world of video, the component video was the highest quality analog video in use. As such, it was a popular video input option for many analog high-definition TVs. 

If your TV has component input, it will have red, blue, and green jack connectors for video and two connectors, colored red and white respectively, for audio. 

You can use an HDMI-to-component converter to convert the HDMI signal from the Fire Stick to the component video signal that your TV recognizes.

Last update on 2023-03-28 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.

Connect a Fire Stick to Your TV With an HDMI to Composite & S-Video Converter

Composite video is an analog video signal that is of a lower quality than component video. Nonetheless, it was a widely-used option in the analog era before digital signals became the standard option. 

It comes in 3 forms: NTSC, PAL, and SECAM. Many devices still support composite, so don’t be surprised to see composite ports on a not-so-old TV. 

S-Video (as in “separate video”) gives higher quality than composite video but is not as good as a component video signal. However, it’s not as common as component and composite.

It works by separating color signals and black-and-white signals, leading to better video quality than you’d get from the composite video.

For a TV with an S-video or composite port, use a Composite- & S-Video-to-HDMI converter. Many converters support both S-video and composite video.

Last update on 2023-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API.

Here is how to connect the TV, converter, and Fire Stick:

1. Plug the converter into a power source.
2. Connect the output end of the converter to the TV’s component ports.
3. Plug the Fire Stick into the input end of the converter.
4. Connect the USB cable to your Fire Stick and plug it into a power source.
5. Turn on the TV.
   If your TV is set to the video input, it will automatically detect the Fire Stick.
   If your TV is not set to the video input, use your TV remote to access the settings and, under “Input” or “Source”, select “video”. The TV will then detect the Fire Stick.
6. Turn on your Fire Stick remote. The remote may automatically pair with your TV, in which case you can proceed with the setup process.
   If the remote does not automatically pair with your TV, you need to pair them manually.
   To do so, hold the “Home” button for about 10 seconds until Press Play/Pause to Start appears on the screen. Amazon offers additional ways to pair your Fire Start remote if this doesn’t work.
7. Press “Play”/“Pause” and follow the on-screen prompts to complete the setup process and log in to your Amazon account.

You can now access Fire Stick apps and content on your TV.

Conclusion

A Fire Stick only works when you plug it into the HDMI port of your TV, not any other port. However, if your TV does not have HDMI ports, there is a way to work around this shortcoming.

You can use a converter to connect your Fire Stick to the TV. 

There are converters that change HDMI signals to DVI, component video, composite video, or S-Video. Your TV likely has one or two of these video input options. 

Choose a converter that will convert the Fire Stick’s HDMI signal to the signal format that your TV input option supports.