Using 4K Computer Monitor with Amazon Fire Stick (also 4K)

Undervalued

I have a 43 inch Philips monitor which I would like to use occasionally with my 4K Fire Stick.

The monitor has two MHL-HDMI ports (as well as two Display Ports for computer input). It has built in stereo sound which is OKish but far from ideal. The monitor does not have a remote so the only way of accessing the menus or controlling the sound volume is from a fiddly small joystick on the back.

So, with the Fire Stick I get an excellent picture but fairly indifferent sound quality with no easy way of controlling the volume. Unless I am missing something the volume buttons on the Fire's remote can't be configured to control the monitor's sound volume. The monitor does not have an IR receiver so any control would have to come via the HDMI.

It does not have a Line or optical sound out socket, only a 3.5mm earphone jack. So no easy way of connecting a sound bar or similar?

I am vaguely familiar with ARC return and with whatever it is called when the HDMI passes the control signals to other devices on a TV but can't figure out how to do similar here.

I have not encountered MHL-HDMI before so don't really know what the MHL bit does?

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks,

flaneurs_lobster

No idea about MHL-HDMI I'm afraid. 

The Firestick does have Bluetooth Audio Out, designed for headphones while watching TV. Don't see why that couldn't be connected to another Bluetooth device (speaker, soundbar?). Don't know if the volume would be controllable from the FS remote.

Undervalued

flaneurs_lobster said:

No idea about MHL-HDMI I'm afraid. 

The Firestick does have Bluetooth Audio Out, designed for headphones while watching TV. Don't see why that couldn't be connected to another Bluetooth device (speaker, soundbar?). Don't know if the volume would be controllable from the FS remote.

Interesting thanks.

I don't have a Bluetooth soundbar or similar but I do have some BT headphones which would at least prove the concept.

MattMattMattUK

Why not just use the connected PC/laptop instead, it can do everything the fire stick can.

Undervalued

MattMattMattUK said:

Why not just use the connected PC/laptop instead, it can do everything the fire stick can.

Ideally I'd like to find a solution where it could be controlled entirely by a TV type remote as it is possible it will end up being used mainly or entirely for that purpose.

I had occasionally wondered about using a Mac Mini as a small streaming box as I think they come with a remote?

DullGreyGuy

MHL - Mobile High-Definition Link was a 2010 solution to mirror a mobile phone onto a TV/Screen using a wire before everything became wireless

Certainly an easier solution would be to get a sound bar that has a HDMI passthrough so the fire stick goes into the soundbar and the pass through goes to the screen. You can then use the fire stick remote to control the stick and the soundbar. 

A Mac Mini doesn't come with a remote but you can use a remote with it but like any computer it'd only be for control within an application, you'd still need some form of mouse/trackpad and keyboard for switching between applications etc. Unless you are thinking of AppleTV which is the apple equivalent of a fire stick which does come with a remote but these days also has just a HDMI output (older versions had optical out too)

Vitor

There's plenty of HDMI audio splitters which will pass through video and breakout audio to analogue or S/PDIF for a soundbar or active speakers.
HDMI Audio Extractor, 4K @ 60Hz HDMI to HDMI + Optical Toslink SPDIF + 3.5 mm Audio Output, HDMI Audio Converter Adapter Embedder Support 1080P 3D for Fire Stick, Xbox Laptop : Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo

facade

Undervalued said:

MattMattMattUK said:

Why not just use the connected PC/laptop instead, it can do everything the fire stick can.

Ideally I'd like to find a solution where it could be controlled entirely by a TV type remote as it is possible it will end up being used mainly or entirely for that purpose.

I had occasionally wondered about using a Mac Mini as a small streaming box as I think they come with a remote?

Look out for something called a VRC-1100. They are a Windows Vista media remote. Labelled as Vista MCE PC Media Remote Control.

Work perfectly on windows 11 & 10.

You can get them new old stock  in blister packs for under £20 on eBay if you keep looking.

I've had mine for years.

Anyway, you plug the usb dongle into the mini-pc/ laptop etc, it has a flying lead so you blu-tack it to the top of the monitor or something.

Then you get all the standard number keys, cursor keys, enter & media keys inc. volume, plus a mouse rocker & buttons.

Just plug the laptop/mini-pc into the monitor, change your logon password to a pin number and run something like plex HTPC edition (Home Theatre PC)- it is a selectable download on the plex download page. This gives big icons that you navigate with the cursor keys and the ok & back buttons

The old Microsoft media remote, clones by HP, Dell, Phillips etc. is the same idea, but doesn't have mouse functionality.

There are a couple of cheap ones on eBay now, but they don't have the usb receiver dongle!

There are some Chinese PC remotes with mouse control for around £7 that might be worth a punt, but I've no idea how long they will last compared to the VRC-1100 search for

Media IR Remote Control Controller Receiver For Loptop PC Windows 7 10 Vista. (yes they spelled laptop wrong!)