I simply discovered the easiest way to make use of a Fireplace Stick with out a TV

I’ve all the time been a fan of Amazon’s Fire TV Stick. It’s totally simple to arrange, and you can begin streaming loads of exhibits and films inside seconds of taking it out of the field. When you’ve got a TV with out sensible options or just need a greater streaming expertise in your TV, Amazon’s Fireplace TV Sticks aren’t a nasty choice. They are much cheaper than an Apple TV 4K, and you may typically discover them on sale at a superb value.

I used to be capable of get my Fire TV Stick 4K Max on sale for $33. For the worth I paid, I’ve completely loved my streaming expertise, and the standard and efficiency have been glorious. Nonetheless, after proudly owning and utilizing a Fireplace TV Stick 4K Max for a while, I discovered my favourite use of it had nothing to do with my lounge TV.

Late within the evenings, I often take pleasure in watching exhibits or films earlier than mattress. I generally do that on my PC, which is related to 2 displays, certainly one of which is a 4K show I take advantage of for picture modifying and watching movies. The issue is that when watching a streaming service in your PC, you are sometimes restricted to utilizing your internet browser, like Google Chrome or Firefox, as a substitute of a devoted app. The difficulty is that almost all streaming providers, corresponding to Disney+ or HBO Max, do not stream 4K by way of the browser, so I find yourself watching a 1080p (and even 720p) stream on a 4K monitor, which is not precisely the most effective expertise.

To resolve this drawback, I devised a easy resolution: flip my Amazon Fireplace TV Stick into an Amazon Fireplace Monitor Stick.

Establishing a Fireplace TV Stick on a monitor is simply as simple as a TV

Audio could also be your greatest drawback

To take pleasure in 4K streaming at my desk utilizing my monitor, I unplugged my Fireplace TV Stick 4K Max from my lounge TV and plugged it proper into my monitor. Like my TV, my 4K monitor additionally has a few HDMI ports, so swapping it was simple. My monitor has a USB port on the again that I might plug the Fireplace TV Stick into for energy, however I do not suppose it has sufficient energy output, so I plugged it into my energy bar as a substitute to be protected.

The one huge drawback I encountered was associated to audio. You see, when your Fireplace TV Stick is related to your TV, you are often utilizing your TV’s audio system or no matter sound system you could have hooked as much as it to listen to every part. Certainly one of my displays has audio system, however they suck, and the opposite monitor I’ve simply does not have audio system in any respect, so this offered an issue. There is not any level in watching these exhibits in 4K on my monitor if the audio sucks. However then I stumbled upon a function of the Fireplace TV Stick that I had no thought it even had: Bluetooth audio.

With Bluetooth audio on my Fireplace TV Stick, I used to be capable of join it to the SteelSeries Arctic Nova 7 headset I take advantage of with my PC and take heed to each my PC’s audio (related through USB-C) and my Fireplace TV Stick’s audio (through Bluetooth) concurrently. To my shock, this labored completely, and I used to be capable of hear any exhibits and films clearly by way of my headset, in addition to any audio on my PC, like Discord.

It is value noting that different streaming sticks, just like the Roku Streaming Stick, lack the ability to attach a Bluetooth audio system. So, in case you attempt to do what I am doing with my Fireplace TV stick on my monitor utilizing a Roku streaming stick, it will not work. The PS5 does not even have native Bluetooth audio assist, so the truth that Fireplace TV Sticks do is spectacular — a bonus I did not even take into account when selecting it over a Roku streaming stick. That stated, when you’ve got audio system wired to your monitor, this is not a giant deal, however in case you use headphones, it’s totally handy.

Connecting a Fireplace TV Follow my monitor exceeded my expectations

My foremost motive for doing that is that almost all streaming providers have subpar browser high quality on PC

That brings me to the unique motive I needed to hook up my Fireplace TV Follow my monitor within the first place: to observe 4K films and exhibits on my monitor. The crux of the difficulty is that, whilst you can watch streaming providers in your browser in your PC, corresponding to Chrome or Firefox, the issue is that basically no streaming service provides 4K streaming by way of the browser. Take Disney+, for instance. If you happen to’re utilizing Chrome, Safari, or Edge, the absolute best video high quality you’ll be able to obtain is Full HD, 1080p.

Whereas 1080p nonetheless appears to be like okay, since I am utilizing a 4K monitor, I wish to see 4K, particularly when watching huge exhibits like Andor or Daredevil. One other instance of a streaming service that does that is Prime Video, which Amazon says can obtain “as much as HD” high quality in an online browser. Once more, not 4K. Now, Amazon’s ploy for doing this could be to get individuals to purchase a Fireplace TV Stick, and if that is the case, then I assume it labored on me. Why most streamers restrict their internet browser high quality is past me, however it might be associated to bandwidth points or issues about piracy.

Netflix is a standout in terms of 4K streaming on PC. Though most internet browsers cannot stream Netflix in 4K, you are able to do so by way of Microsoft Edge or the devoted Netflix app for Home windows. Whereas it is nice that Netflix could make this occur, if you wish to watch 4K content material from different streaming providers — which I do about 70 p.c of the time — you may nonetheless want a streaming system like a Fireplace TV Stick 4K Max to hook up with your monitor.

Contemplating all this, after hooking up my Fireplace TV Stick and getting it prepared, it began streaming easily in 4K on my monitor, identical to it might on my TV. And in case your monitor helps HDR like mine, it mechanically allows it. I did not want to regulate any show settings on the Fireplace TV Stick – it simply labored. I used to be capable of stream all the standard providers I take advantage of, like Disney+ and Prime Video, in 4K on my monitor, one thing I could not do earlier than due to the standard limitations streaming providers have with PC internet browsers. One of many first exhibits I watched in 4K on my monitor was the second season of Andor, and it appeared superb in comparison with my expertise with Google Chrome on my PC.

After I first purchased my Fireplace TV Stick, I deliberate to apply it to my TV. I by no means considered utilizing it on my monitor. Nonetheless, since I began utilizing it on my monitor, I’ve turn into hooked. If I wish to watch one thing on my monitor, I simply swap the HDMI enter from my PC to the Fireplace TV Stick, and I am streaming immediately, with the audio related to my headphones through Bluetooth. It is utterly seamless and as fast as opening a streaming service by way of the browser. If you happen to’re in the same scenario and likewise use your desktop PC for streaming your favourite exhibits and films, take into account getting a streaming stick just like the Fireplace TV Stick 4K Max. It is an reasonably priced option to take pleasure in high-quality 4K content material and keep away from the poor high quality supplied by streaming providers by way of internet browsers.