Last week I told you about installing the Amazon Fire Stick streaming device. That made Todd curious. He writes: “Could I install a Fire TV Stick on my laptop and use it to watch programs? I know it won’t work in a USB port, but if my laptop has an HDMI port, can I do it?”
No you can’t and here’s why. What this streaming stick does is allow you to use your TV as a monitor for what is basically an Android tablet that you control with a remote. It’s a tiny computer that uses your TV screen as a monitor. If you already have a computer, you don’t need to plug something in to make it a computer.
If you’re running Windows 8.1 or 10, you can go to the App Store and get apps for Amazon or Netflix or Hulu. You can also watch them through your browser. You don’t need to buy anything. You can, however, run an HDMI cable from your PC to your TV and use it as a larger monitor to watch programs you’re enjoying on your laptop.
~ Cynthia
Cynthia, you really are a good person.Thanks for this info.
Your comment about the fire stick on a computer not working, which your absolutely right of course! But you also mentioned hooking up a HDTV cable from your Laptop to your HDTV to watch it on the bigger screen! Now I have hooked up my Laptop to my HDTV with a HDTV cable. I get the bigger picture just fine, but no sound and I have yet to figure out how to get the sound ran to my Tv or my surround sound system. I was expecting my picture and sound to come through my HDTV cable, but apparently not win a computer setup? Any suggestions how to resolve my sound issues would greatly be appreciated and thanks for all your articles, I’ve learned a lot from them over the past several years!
Gale, if you are not using a HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) cable you will not get sound, you are essentially just using a cable for the picture similar to DVI or VGA cables for desktop computers. The HDMI has the connection for the sound as well as the video.
Gale, you can get sound but you need to go to your audio settings on the laptop and change th eoutput to speaker or headphones (sorry can’t remember which – just try them) and this basically sends the sound through the audio cable rather than the HDMI. I have mine set up like this. HDMI from laptop to projector and the sound via an audio cable from laptop into my aux in on my stereo.
Use the head phone jack on the laptop, convert to auxillary(4bucks at Walmart) plug into stereo or surround sound!
Or you could download Kodi onto your computer and watch everything for free
If you stream products like Amazon Prime or Netflix or movies that are offered on pay services – you aren’t streaming for free. You’re simply stealing.
Hello. And Bye.
as long as you have a problem with stealing media
On the later model firesticks I was able to use them with my PC. Not sure why or how but it did work.
JT, you were able to use a firestick with your laptop/pc? I am wanting to do this for my dad. He is blind, and it would be a HUGE help for him to be able to listen to shows or movies with the firestick, and would save us A LOT of money instead of buying a smart tv to use a firestick with. Only needing to purchase a firestick would be sweet!
Just found out that if your laptop has BOTH an HDMI output AND input it will work. Guessing JT’s might have both.
I wanted to edit that he already listens to shows on his laptop, but he needs us when he wants to change to a different show. If he could just use the firestick, and say what show he wants, or pause or whatever he needs to do, that would help ALL of us here, and would help him feel more independent too.