PCM Audio on Fire TV and Fire Stick: Configure the Output

Short answer: getting PCM audio from a Fire Stick

To make a Fire Stick or another Fire TV device send PCM, switch its audio output from a Dolby or Best Available mode to Stereo, or to a PCM option if your model lists one. The device then decodes the soundtrack itself and sends uncompressed PCM over HDMI. Almost any TV, soundbar, receiver or HDMI capture device that accepts HDMI audio can play this signal. Menu labels differ between Fire TV models and software versions, so use the steps below as a guide and match them to what your screen shows.

• Open Settings from the Fire TV home screen.
• Open the display and sound section, then Audio. On recent Fire OS versions this is usually Display & Sounds, then Audio.
• Open Surround Sound and select Stereo, or a PCM option if your model offers one.
• Leave the other audio options as they are for now. Change them only if the next step shows that a compressed stream is still arriving.
• Play a title that has a surround soundtrack, then check the input format reported by your TV, receiver or capture software.

How PCM output works on Fire TV

PCM (pulse-code modulation) is uncompressed digital audio: a continuous stream of samples at a fixed sample rate and bit depth. Streaming apps rarely deliver PCM directly. They usually send compressed formats such as Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus or AAC. Fire TV can handle these in two ways. With passthrough, it forwards the compressed bitstream unchanged and the connected output device decodes it. With PCM output, Fire TV decodes the audio first and sends the finished samples.

PCM comes in two forms. Stereo PCM is two channels, and practically every HDMI audio device supports it. Multichannel PCM carries 5.1 or 7.1 channels uncompressed, but only some receivers and HDMI paths accept it. Fire TV reads what the connected device reports it can handle, so the available options and the result of Best Available can change when you plug the stick into a different TV or receiver. Treat any specific channel count or format as something to confirm on your own setup.

When PCM is the right choice

• No sound, dropouts or crackling with some apps: forcing stereo PCM is a common troubleshooting step, because it removes any dependence on the receiving device's Dolby decoder.
• Fire Stick connected to a computer through an HDMI capture card: capture devices generally expect PCM, and a compressed Dolby stream may come through as silence or noise. The capture card appears as an input device on the computer, so also check the sample rate and input level in your recording or video call software. Hum or background noise in a recording usually comes from levels or the analog path, not from the PCM setting.
• TV linked to a soundbar over ARC: standard ARC carries only two-channel PCM, so stereo PCM from Fire TV arrives at the soundbar as stereo. eARC can carry multichannel PCM, but only if both the TV and the soundbar support it.
• AV receiver connected directly by HDMI: if your Fire TV offers multichannel PCM and the receiver accepts it, you keep surround channels while Fire TV handles decoding. If you want the receiver to show and process Dolby Atmos, keep passthrough instead, because decoding to PCM generally means the receiver no longer receives an Atmos stream.

Limits and related questions

Does PCM sound better? Not by itself. PCM is an uncompressed way to transport audio, but it cannot restore detail that was lost when the stream was encoded. The setting changes where decoding happens and what format reaches the next device. It does not change the quality of the source.

Fire TV PCM audio settings work much the same across Fire TV sticks, Cubes and other streaming devices, but the option names and the formats offered depend on the model and software version. Fire TV smart TVs may also have a separate setting for their optical or ARC output. That setting controls what leaves the television, independently of the HDMI audio setting described above.

Decoding on the Fire TV can change audio delay. If speech and picture drift apart after switching to PCM, look for an AV sync adjustment in the same Audio section, which some versions include, or use the delay setting on your TV or receiver.

If you hear nothing after the change, check that the TV or receiver is on the correct input and that its own digital audio setting accepts PCM. Some apps may only apply a new audio setting when you start playback again or reopen the app.