# Can you use a Firestick on a Roku TV? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-a-firestick-on-a-roku-tv/779697 "2017-02-12T21:50:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeXen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@HeXen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeXen)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-a-firestick-on-a-roku-tv/779697/1 "2017-02-12T21:50:47Z")
We have a 55" Roku TV, wife wants to jail break a Firestick for occasional use. How would that work since the TV has built in Roku? ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-a-firestick-on-a-roku-tv/779697/2 "2017-02-12T21:57:36Z")
You’d set the input to the port the Fire Stick is plugged into. I can’t say if the two systems would fight in some way, or if the TV blocks such competition, but I will note that Roku is the Unitarian of the streaming world and doesn’t have either Amazon or Apple’s history of being all pissy at other players. Of course, since your intent is piracy, this may not be the place to ask these questions. ---
**Author:** ![snoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@snoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snoe)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-a-firestick-on-a-roku-tv/779697/3 "2017-02-12T22:09:14Z")
I once plugged a _Roku_ into a Roku TV, and it worked fine. (I was testing whether the Roku box still worked before I gave it away, not trying to break space-time or anything.) Pretty sure the inputs are “dumb,” so you could plug a Firestick, VCR, or whatever in there. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2017, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-a-firestick-on-a-roku-tv/779697/4 "2017-02-12T23:16:15Z")
To the best of my understanding, HDMI has very little networking built in and really doesn’t care what’s in any other port. Some product families can communicate via a shared HDMI hub (TV or receiver), but general communication… no. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-use-a-firestick-on-a-roku-tv/779697/5 "2017-02-13T14:02:10Z")
There is no need to “jail break” a Fire TV Stick. There’s a setting to allow side loading of apps and that’s that. Rooting a Fire TV Stick is a whole other thing. Be very, very careful about this. Be sure to use the method that works for your OS version. Follow the guides to the T. The best source of information is [here](https://forum.xda-developers.com/fire-tv). Some rooting software is very questionable. You can root using it, but then you should load a pre-rooted “clean” version of the OS right away. If you really mean “jail breaking”, then do _not_ try to root it. You can brick the device. As far as the Roku enabled TV goes, the Stick just another HDMI source.