Having an Amazon Fire TV Stick is great. You can essentially think of plugging in one of these as plugging a mini-computer into your TV. They cost relatively little for all the value they bring to the table, so it’s not much of a surprise that Amazon became the leading connected TV devices brand in 2020. In fact, the Amazon Fire Stick 4K was the best-selling streaming device overall in the same year. But, of course, the connected TV devices market is huge, too, so that’s quite a feat.
When a device sells in such high volumes, it is somewhat expected that you’ll run into problems. And that’s the case with the Firestick problems that some users experience and complain about. For instance, one of the major issues that people might notice with their , especially the Fire Stick, is picture-related issues, like pixelated video or poor quality.
While poor Amazon Fire Stick resolution might seem like a reason you should send it back in under warranty, that shouldn’t be your first move. You can do many things right from your living room that might fix the Firestick problems you’re facing.
So, if you’re looking for how to improve picture quality on Fire Stick, there’s no better place for you to be on the internet than here. So let’s get right into everything you need to know.
Do you have a particular question about improving picture quality on Fire Stick? Then use the table of contents below to jump to the most relevant section. And you can always go back by clicking on the black arrow in the right bottom corner of the page. Also, please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links. For more details, check the Disclosure section at the bottom of the page.
Here's what we'll cover:
Can Amazon Fire Stick be glitchy and show a pixelated picture?
Suppose you’re wondering whether a common problem on the Fire Stick is a pixelated or glitchy video. In that case, I’m here to tell you that it is. However, when this problem occurs, it’s usually not due to a hardware issue with the Amazon Fire Stick itself.
Suppose you find your Amazon Prime video pixelated when you try and watch it. The issue usually stems from your physical or internet connection or perhaps a software issue with the Amazon Fire Stick that you’re using.
Worry not. If you face Amazon Fire Stick poor picture quality, it’s likely to be because of the reasons listed above. These have easy fixes that you can try out from home, so don’t get too alarmed yet. You should only be worried if you try all these solutions and none of them makes a change!
Typical picture quality issues on Fire Stick and fixes
If you’re an owner of an Amazon Fire Stick, then there are some common issues you might face with the picture of Firestick. I’ll talk about all these issues and the potential fixes you can follow to get your streaming device working like usual. Let’s get into it.
Picture quality is poor
Amazon Fire Stick poor picture quality is one of the most common issues people face with this device. However, it typically isn’t the fault of the Fire TV Stick itself when this occurs.
Your video quality might not look the best because the amount of data being received over the internet is limited for one reason or another. By resolving this, you will likely see a quick improvement in the quality.
If you’re looking for how to improve picture quality on Fire Stick, then you can use any of the solutions below:
- There’s a data monitoring feature that you may have enabled in the past on your Amazon device. Go to Settings, then Preferences, then Data Monitoring. You can either leave this setting off, which it is by default, or turn it on and select the Set Video Quality option. Under this option, select “Best” to ensure the highest video quality when watching content.
- Switch to a faster and more reliable internet connection.
- Move the wireless router closer to the TV in the house to ensure the strongest signal strength.
Blank screen
Are you experiencing an Amazon Fire Stick dark picture? When there’s supposed to be something on the screen, you just see black? Well, this is one of the easier problems for you to fix.
- Restart the Fire Stick. With the remote control, you can do this by pressing the Select button (at the center of the circle) and the Play/Pause simultaneously. Hold them for about five seconds, and the Fire TV Stick should restart.
- Reconnect the Fire TV Stick to the HDMI port on the TV. If you use the extended package with the device, try to plug it directly into the TV instead. The wires inside the extended might have gone bad.
Amazon Fire Stick blue screen
One of the most annoying problems to face is a blue screen. This problem might be a major annoyance, but the good thing is that there are lots of solutions you can try to get it working. Here are the things you can try for the Amazon Fire Stick blue screen problem.
- Restart the Fire Stick by holding the Select and Play/Pause buttons simultaneously for five seconds.
- Disconnect the Fire TV Stick from the HDMI port and the power for 20 seconds before reconnecting.
- Unplug your wireless router and plug it back in to reset the internet connection.
Pixelated images
If you just want to settle down and watch something good and you see that your Amazon Prime video is pixelated, then it’s understandable that you might be super frustrated.
This issue is usually related to the internet connection, so fixing internet issues by doing any of the following can help:
- Switching to a stronger wireless connection
- Resetting your wireless router
- Moving the router closer to the Fire TV Stick
However, updating the firmware of the Fire TV can also help improve Amazon Fire Stick resolution when it gets pixelated despite good internet. You can do this by following these steps:
- Press the Home button on the remote control.
- Go to Settings.
- Select My Fire TV.
- Select About.
- Go to “Check for a system update.”
- Let the update download and install it once done. You may need to do this multiple times to reach the latest version.
Quick tip on how to improve picture quality on Fire Stick
There are multiple tips you can follow to make sure that the quality of the picture of Firestick is perfect as it should be.
- Ensure a strong, reliable internet connection at all times.
- Plug the Fire Stick into the TV directly and use an external power source.
- Keep the firmware up to date at all times.
- Uninstall applications that you do not use anymore to keep more storage space available.
Credits: Thanks for the photo to Canva.
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