How to Connect a DVD/VCR Combo, VCR or Blu-ray Player to a Fire TV or Fire Stick (Video)

Got a Fire TV or a Fire TV Stick and a DVD/VCR combo, VCR or Blu-ray player? A Fire TV Stick has no inputs of its own, and Fire TV remotes don't have an Input button, so a player you just plugged in can seem to vanish. This guide shows which cable to use, where the player plugs in when a Fire TV Stick is already using an HDMI port, how to connect a VCR or combo to a TV with no AV jacks, how to switch to your player, and how to stop the TV jumping back to Fire TV. Watch the video, or follow the written steps below. It works on TVs with Fire TV built in from Insignia, Toshiba, Hisense, TCL, Panasonic, Pioneer and Amazon, and on any TV with a Fire TV Stick.

Video Chapters

  • 0:00 Intro
  • 0:23 Which cable your player needs
  • 0:45 Fire TV Stick or Fire TV built in
  • 1:12 HDMI hookup (Blu-ray)
  • 1:32 VCR or combo with the AV-to-HDMI adapter
  • 2:03 Switching inputs on a Fire TV smart TV
  • 2:23 Switching inputs with a Fire TV Stick
  • 2:40 Rename the input and set Power On
  • 3:08 Stop the jump-back + picture fixes
  • 3:36 Quick fixes

Players and TVs This Guide Covers

  • Players: any DVD/VCR combo, VCR or Blu-ray player, including every model Teklinq sells.
  • TVs with Fire TV built in: Insignia, Toshiba, Hisense, TCL, Panasonic, Pioneer and Amazon's own TVs. Menu names can differ a little by brand and Fire TV software version.
  • Fire TV Stick or Fire TV Cube: on any TV. The stick has no inputs, so the player goes into a different port on the TV.

Step 1: Pick the Right Cable

Look at the back of your player. If it has an HDMI OUT port, like most Blu-ray players, use an HDMI cable. If it only has yellow, white and red jacks, like VCRs and DVD/VCR combos, use an AV cable. On a combo, use the jacks labeled OUT, so tapes and discs both come through.

Step 2: Know Which Fire TV You Have

A Fire TV Stick plugs into one of your TV's HDMI ports and has no inputs of its own, so your player never plugs into the stick. It goes into a different port on the TV, right beside it. If Fire TV is built into your TV, you use the TV's own ports the same way: HDMI 1, 2 or 3, and on some models an AV input.

Step 3: Connect a Blu-ray Player with HDMI

Plug one end of the HDMI cable into the player's HDMI OUT and the other into a free HDMI port on the TV, not the one the stick is using. Note the number printed next to that port, for example HDMI 2. Then plug in the player's power cord.

Step 4: Connect a VCR or Combo with the AV-to-HDMI Adapter

  1. Plug the yellow, white and red plugs from the player's OUT jacks into the adapter's INPUT, matching the colors.
  2. Run the HDMI cable from the adapter to a free HDMI port on the TV.
  3. Plug the adapter's USB cable into the wall plug or a USB port on the TV.

Teklinq VCRs and DVD/VCR combos come with the adapter in the box. If your TV does have AV jacks, skip the adapter and plug the colors straight in.

Step 5: Switch to Your Player on a Fire TV Smart TV

Press the Menu button (the one with three lines) and choose Inputs. On older Fire TV screens, Inputs sits in the top bar of the Home screen. Pick the port you used, like HDMI 2 or AV, and press Select. Turn the player on and the picture should appear.

Step 6: Switch to Your Player with a Fire TV Stick

The Fire TV remote can't choose the input, so use your TV's own remote: press Input or Source and pick the port your player is plugged into. When you're done, press Home on the Fire TV remote and the TV jumps back to the stick.

Step 7: Rename the Input and Start on Your Player

On a Fire TV smart TV, open the Inputs list, highlight your player's input and press and hold Select (or press the Menu button on older screens). Choose Change Device Name and pick something like DVD player or Blu-ray player. To have the TV turn on straight to your player, go to Settings > Display & Sounds > Power Controls > Power On and choose Last Input, then switch to the player before you turn the TV off.

Step 8: Stop the TV Jumping Back to Fire TV, and Fix the Picture

If the TV keeps switching back to Fire TV in the middle of a tape, the stick is waking up and grabbing the screen. On the Fire TV, go to Settings > Display & Sounds and turn off HDMI CEC Device Control. Your TV remote still switches inputs. If the picture looks stretched, set the TV's picture size or aspect to Normal or 4:3. No sound? Push the white and red plugs all the way in.

Troubleshooting

  • "No signal": make sure the player is on, you picked the right input, and the adapter's USB power is plugged in.
  • Still nothing: try a different HDMI port and pick that input.
  • TV keeps jumping back to Fire TV: Settings > Display & Sounds > HDMI CEC Device Control > Off.
  • TV won't start on your player: Settings > Display & Sounds > Power Controls > Power On > Last Input (not offered on the earliest 2017 Fire TV models).
  • Fire TV remote won't play or eject: it runs the Fire TV, not the player. Use the player's own remote for play, stop and eject.

Need your player's manual? Find it free on our User Manuals page. Model-by-model walkthroughs are on our Setup Videos page. Still stuck? Contact us or leave a comment on the video.

Shop

Teklinq is not affiliated with Amazon or any TV maker. Amazon, Fire TV and all related marks are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates; other brand names belong to their respective owners.

Back to blog