Fire TV Optical Out Not Working? (Fail-Proof Methods To Fix)

Do you want to hook up your Fire TV to your receiver (Soundbar, Home Theater, Speakers) via optical cable, but you can’t get it to work?

Whether you wish to get the 5.1 output from your fire tv stick or wish to hook the Fire OS TV (Toshiba, Insignia, Omni, etc) via its optical out, I will explain where things are going wrong and how to get it working.

 In this guide, I will be covering both setups:

  • Individual Amazon Fire TV streaming devices (Fire TV Stick, Fire Cube, Fire TV 4k)
  • FireTVs (TVs that are equipped with Amazon Fire OS like Toshiba, Insignia, and Omni Fire TVs)

In most reported cases, Fire TV’s optical out won’t work or the sound won’t reach the receiver because of incorrect audio settings or incorrect setup.

Don’t worry, this issue is relatively common and can usually be resolved with a few simple troubleshooting steps. 

In this blog, I’ll go over the proper connection method, provide solutions, and offer alternative methods for connecting your Fire TV to a soundbar or home theatre system.

Why Is My Fire TV Not Working Over Optical Cable?

There are a few potential causes for the optical out on a Fire TV to be not working, here are the main reasons:

  • Incorrect setup, such as a loose or improperly connected optical cable, can cause the Fire TV’s optical audio output to stop working.
  • Incorrect audio output settings on the TV or soundbar prevent the optical connection from functioning properly.
  • The TV may not be mixing the audio output correctly due to Incorrect audio format, which can cause issues with the optical audio output. 

How To Fix Fire TV Optical Out Issues?

If the optical out on your Fire TV is not working, here are a few things you need to try to fix the issue:

  • Confirm that the optical cable is connected correctly to both your TV and soundbar/audio receiver.
  • Check and adjust the audio output settings on both your TV and soundbar. Make sure they are set to use the optical connection.
  • On your Fire TV, try going into the settings and disabling Dolby Digital Plus. You may also need to try setting the Digital Audio Output setting to PCM or Dolby Digital and turning off the TV speakers.
  • If you are using an older TV that does not have an HDMI input, try using an HDMI to Optical converter to connect your Fire TV to your soundbar.
Switch to PCM Selection on Fire TV
Switch to PCM Selection on Fire TV

Changing the Audio Settings on Your Fire TV

If you are having trouble getting audio from your Fire TV, the first thing is to check and adjust the audio settings on your device. Here’s how to change the audio settings on your Fire TV:

  1. Press and hold the “Home Button” on the “Fire TV remote for 5 seconds”. If your remote has a “Settings” button, press that instead.
  2. Select “Sound” from the “Menu”.
  3. Change the “options” to your “preferred settings“.

How Can You Connect Your Fire TV To Receiver (Soundbar, Home Theater, etc)?

Here are the different methods for connecting your Fire TV to your soundbar or home theatre:

Option 1: Fire TV > HDMI Cable > Sound Bar / Audio Receiver > HDMI Cable > TV

In this setup, you’ll connect your Fire TV to your soundbar or audio receiver using an HDMI cable. 

Then, you’ll connect the soundbar or audio receiver to your TV using another HDMI cable. 

This method is ideal if your TV has multiple HDMI inputs and you want to keep all of your audio and video sources connected directly to the TV.

Option 2: Fire TV > HDMI Cable > TV > TOSLINK/SPDIF Cable > Sound Bar / Audio Receiver

In this setup, you’ll connect your Fire TV to your TV using an HDMI cable. Then, you’ll use a TOSLINK or SPDIF cable to connect your TV to your soundbar or audio receiver. 

This method is ideal if your TV only has one HDMI input and you need to use a different input for your other audio and video sources.

Option 3: Fire TV > HDMI Cable > Audio Splitter > TOSLINK/SPDIF Cable to Sound Bar / Audio Receiver AND HDMI Cable to TV

In this setup, you’ll use an audio splitter to split the audio and video signals from your Fire TV. 

One output from the splitter will go to your TV using an HDMI cable, while the other output will go to your soundbar or audio receiver using a TOSLINK or SPDIF cable. 

Using an HDMI Audio Extractor

Another option for getting audio from your Fire TV to your soundbar or home theatre system is to use an HDMI audio extractor.

Although you might be aware let me give a quick idea on it, An HDMI audio extractor is a device that allows you to connect your HDMI-enabled device to an older analog display. The extractor will convert the digital video and audio signals from the HDMI cable into an analog signal that can be sent through an older analog-based source.

To use an HDMI audio extractor with your Fire TV, follow these steps:

  1. Connect the HDMI output from the Fire TV to the HDMI input on the extractor.
  2. Connect the HDMI output from the extractor to the HDMI input on the TV.
  3. Connect the digital audio output from the extractor to the audio input on the soundbar or home theatre system.
  4. In the soundbar or home theatre system’s setup menu, assign the input being used (e.g. opt 1) to a name (e.g. “cable/sat”).
  5. Set the audio output on the extractor to 5.1 surround sound.

Note: It’s important to choose an HDMI audio extractor that will still pass audio through HDMI to the TV. This way, you can use the TV without the soundbar or home theatre system if desired.

Using the Optical Output on Your Fire TV (TVs Equipped With Fire OS)

If your TV is equipped with a Fire TV operating system, it should come with an optical cord and optical port for sound output. 

To use the optical output on your Fire TV, simply connect the TV to your soundbar using a (TosLink) Optical cable. 

Note: Make sure that the TV has an audio connection using a fiber optic audio out.

If you are using a Fire TV Stick or similar device, you’ll need to connect it to a TV that has an optical output in order to use the optical connection with your soundbar.

Getting Audio from HDMI to Optical

If you want to connect an HDMI-enabled device to an older analog display that doesn’t have an HDMI input, you’ll need to use an HDMI to Optical converter. 

An HDMI to Optical converter is a device that converts the digital video and audio signals from the HDMI cable into an analog signal that can be sent through an older analog-based source.

To use an HDMI to Optical converter, simply connect the HDMI output from your device to the HDMI input on the converter, and then connect the optical output from the converter to the audio input on your analog display.

Conclusion

If you’re experiencing issues with the optical out on your Fire TV, don’t despair – there are several solutions and alternative methods you can try to get your audio working properly. By following the steps outlined above, you should be able to resolve the issue and enjoy your favorite TV shows and movies with great sound quality.

As always, it’s important to carefully troubleshoot and try different solutions to find the one that works best for your specific setup. If you have any tips or tricks for resolving audio issues with Fire TV, we’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Here is a quick wrap-up of the steps you can take to fix the Fire TV optical out not working issue:

  • Confirm the correct connection of the optical cable to the TV and soundbar/audio receiver
  • Check and adjust audio output settings on the TV and soundbar
  • Try disabling Dolby Digital on Fire TV and setting Digital Audio Output to PCM or Dolby Digital
  • Use alternative methods for connecting Fire TV to soundbars, such as HDMI audio extractor or HDMI to Optical converter
  • Check and adjust audio settings on Fire TV

FAQ

How do I change the audio output on my Fire TV?

Change the Audio Settings on Your Fire TV Smart TV Press and hold the Home button on the Fire TV remote for 5 seconds. If your remote has a Settings button press that instead. Select Sound. Change the sliders and options to your preferred settings.

Does amazon fire tv have optical out?

TVs that are equipped with Fire TV OS do come with an optical cord and optical port for sound output through which you can connect the soundbar.

If you are referring to the Fire TV stick instead of the complete TV like Insignia Fire TV or Toshiba Fire TV :

To use Optical output, you need to connect the TV to which your Fire TV Cube is connected to the soundbar using a TosLink Optic cable.
This means that the TV you connect your fire tv stick to should have an audio connection using a fiber optic audio out.

How do I get audio from HDMI to optical?

An HDMI to Optical converter is a device that allows you to connect your HDMI-enabled device to an older analog display. The converter will convert the digital video and audio signals from the HDMI cable into an analog signal that can be sent through an older analog-based source.