I’ve had my Firestick for years, and a friend recently asked me, “Will Firestick work on any TV?” With any TV, she meant a non-smart TV, and that got me thinking too!
At first, I was skeptical about it but I’ve learned that you can and it depends on your TV’s specifications. Here’s what I’ve gathered to help you figure out if a Firestick works with your TV and how you can connect it.
Table of Contents
Will Firestick Work on Any TV?
The Fire Stick will work on any TV as long as it has a minimum resolution of 720p, an HDMI, VGA, or AV port, and the device stays connected to a stable internet connection. You can connect Firestick to any TV’s HDMI port or use a composite or component converter.
However, if your TV keeps displaying the “invalid format” error even after trying troubleshooting steps, it means your TV isn’t compatible with Firestick.
How Does the Amazon Fire Stick Work on a Non-Smart TV?
A Firestick functions similarly to a cable box or DVD player. It just needs a way to plug into the device and a screen to display the content. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a non-smart or smart TV display.
This is such good news for me since I do have an extra TV that isn’t a smart TV and now I know that I can use my Fire Stick with it!
The key difference between the Fire Stick and a cable box or DVD player is that the former will only work with an active internet connection. The Firestick connects wirelessly to a Wi-Fi router or wired via a Fire TV Stick Ethernet adapter.
What Are the Requirements for an Amazon Fire Stick to Work on Any TV?
Still wondering, does a Firestick work on any TV, or, to be more specific, your TV? Check out the basic requirements to use a Firestick with any TV.
- Your TV must be able to run a minimum of 720p resolution videos. A TV with a resolution lower than that cannot work with the Firestick.
- You’ll also need an active wireless or wired internet connection. Make sure to place the Wi-Fi router near your TV, as Firestick requires at least 8 Mbps download speed for streaming HD content and 25 Mbps to stream 4K video.
- Your TV must have at least one working HDMI, VGA, or AV port.
- Finally, you’ll need an active Amazon account to use the Firestick. You may not necessarily need an Amazon Prime membership to use it.
That’s all!
How to Connect the Fire Stick to Any TV With an HDMI Port?
Follow these steps to connect your Firestick to your TV with an HDMI port:
- First, connect the USB adaptor to the power outlet near your TV. You can also use a power strip to connect your TV and Firestick simultaneously.
- Now, connect the other end of the USB adaptor to your Firestick.
- After that, plug the Fire TV Stick into any HDMI port on your television. Remember the HDMI input port where you’ve plugged the device.
- Turn on your TV, and set the input source to that HDMI port where you’ve plugged the device.
- Once done, you’ll see a welcome screen on your TV.
- Take your Firestick remote and follow the on-screen instructions for its setup. If the remote isn’t working, try pressing the Home button for 15 seconds to pair it.
- Once paired, proceed to the step where you’ll select a Wi-Fi network. Here, choose your home Wi-Fi and then enter its password.
- Log in to your Amazon account, and that’s it!
Note: If you’ve bought a used Fire TV Stick, perform a factory reset first, then use it. Factory resetting a device eliminates various issues, including freezing and failing to detect screens.
How to Connect a Fire Stick to Any TV Without an HDMI Port?
Now that you know the answer, will a fire stick work on any TV? You might wonder how to connect the Firestick to your TV if it doesn’t have an HDMI port.
Most older televisions come with either a component (five ports: white, red, blue, and green) or a composite (three ports: white, red, and yellow). So, to use Firestick on these TVs, use a component or composite converter. You can try any of these converters:
- ABLEWE RCA to HDMI AV to HDMI Converter
- Moread HDMI to VGA Adapter
- Portta Component to HDMI Converter
- HDMI to RCA, 1080p HDMI to AV 3RCA CVBs Composite Video Audio Converter Adapter
- HDMI to Composite AV Converter
- Dingsun Component to HDMI Converter
All you need to do is buy any of these converters based on your TV model and follow the same steps mentioned in the above section. The only difference is that here you’ll connect the Firestick to the converter and then the converter to the TV.
My old TV doesn’t have an HDMI port so I did have to get one of these adapters and then it was smooth from there!
Why Is Firestick Not Working on Your TV?
If you’ve faced any problems while connecting your Fire Stick to your TV, it might be due to the following reasons:
1. Lower TV Resolution
If your TV doesn’t support 720p resolution, probably, Firestick won’t work on it.
2. Firestick Fails to Detect Optimal Screen Resolution
Sometimes, Firestick fails to connect to a non-smart 720p TV. It’s because it doesn’t detect the screen resolution correctly. The probability of this happening is relatively low, as Firestick does the job most of the time and automatically downconverts to the best available resolution.
What Should I Do if Firestick Fails to Detect the Optimal Screen Resolution?
If Firestick fails to detect the correct resolution automatically, don’t worry. You can do this manually using the Firestick remote. Here’s how:
Simultaneously press the Back, Reverse, Right, and Select buttons on the remote until your TV automatically begins cycling through various screen resolution settings.
Note: The button combination for bringing screen resolution cycling to the Fire OS 5 version is the Reverse and Up buttons.
You’ll see a different resolution after every 10 seconds until you press “Select” to choose the one you want.
What Should I Do if Firestick Doesn’t Scan for the Best Resolution Setting Manually?
If pressing the buttons on your Firestick remote doesn’t bring the resolution cycle for scanning, try changing the resolution on a newer TV. Here’s how:
- First, unplug the Fire Stick from the older TV and plug it into a newer smart or non-smart TV.
- Set it up and press the Home button on the Firestick remote.
- Navigate to Settings and select Display and Sound.
- Now, choose Display > Video Resolution.
- You’ll see a list of video resolutions. Select the one that works perfectly for your old TV and save it.
- Next, unplug the Firestick from your newer television and plug it into your older one.
- That’s all. It should probably work now!
If it’s still not working on your older TV or you see an invalid format error, then there’s not much you can try to get it working! It might be because of your television’s incompatibility with it.
Does a 4K Fire TV Stick Work on a Non-4K TV?
You’ll find various Fire TV Stick models, including Fire TV Stick, Fire TV Stick Lite, Fire TV Stick 4K, and Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Most TV owners don’t know which one to choose and eventually end up going with the wrong option.
So, remember one thing: if your TV supports 4K resolution and receives 25 Mbps download speed, then only go for the 4K Firestick; otherwise, do not. It’s because there’s no point in having a device that you can’t take advantage of.
However, if you already have a 4K Firestick but don’t have a 4K TV, don’t worry; it’ll still work smoothly at lower resolutions. It’s because Firestick automatically scans your TV for the best available resolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
It’s possible to use the Fire Stick on a non-smart TV. All you need is a stable internet connection and a working HDMI, VGA, or AV port. However, you’ll need a composite or component converter if your TV doesn’t have an HDMI port.
There’s no monthly fee for using a Fire Stick. You’ll only need to pay the initial purchase fee to get the device. Do note that access to some channels and apps on your Firestick will require active subscriptions.
The Fire Stick will work smoothly on an older TV as long as it supports 720p resolution and has a working HDMI, VGA, or AV port. In some cases, you may see an invalid format error on the screen due to Firestick’s failure to detect the best resolution, but it’s fixable.
You can use Firestick smoothly if you have a regular TV with an HDMI port. If your TV doesn’t have an HDMI port, you can still use it by connecting it to a composite or component converter. Just make sure your TV’s screen resolution is a minimum of 720p.
The Bottom Line
Firestick will work on any TV as long as it stays connected to an active internet connection and the TV is at least 720p in resolution.
Moreover, it doesn’t matter whether or not your TV has an HDMI port, as you can use a composite or component converter.
Sometimes, you might face issues connecting your 720p TV to a Firestick. Fortunately, these are fixable with some workarounds we have mentioned above. However, if your older TV keeps displaying an invalid format error, it might have compatibility issues with Firestick, and there’s nothing much you can do about it!
If you’ve any queries about connecting Firestick to a non-smart TV or have any questions, drop them in the comments section below!
