SAN MATEO, Calif. – Due to the current recession, American families are taking special care to educate themselves before making their holiday purchases this Black Friday. As a result, online repair resource, FixYa has seen a significant increase in activity on music devices and MP3 players.

"While FixYa started as a repair resource, we're beginning to see more and more visitors asking for purchasing advice," Says FixYa CEO, Yaniv Bensadon. "Who better to suggest a purchase than the people who fix these products every day?"

Of the 3236 music devices in FixYa's 1 million article data base, some of the most commonly searched brands include Sony, Samsung, Panasonic, Toshiba, LG, Philips, Microsoft, Apple, Sanyo and SanDisk. The most common issues within the site include users reporting their player screen freezing, problems with file uploading, and device detection issues.

Known as "ThaMp3Doctor" to FixYa's community, Corey Knoettgen shares some expert advice on how to avoid these pitfalls by purchasing the right device:

1.     COMPATIBILITY: Check to ensure that the Mp3 player you purchase is compatible with both your computer and your preferred music software.  One of the common types of incompatibility involves computers freezing or shutting off when attempting to sync an early model Philips or RCA audio player to Windows Media Player 11 or Windows Vista. In these cases the audio players were manufactured before the software was released.

2.     FILE SUPPORT: Check the player’s product specifications to find out which formats your particular audio device recognizes. The most common files include Mp3, WMA, AAC (iTunes), WAV and RA. This is important because if a listener's preferred formats are not supported, a device may load files; however, they often do not play.

3.     MEMORY & SUPPORT: Most players offer between 2 - 8 GB of music storage space; however, while the amount of storage is important, the user should not sacrifice storage space for support. Name brand manufacturers are more likely to provide online documentation and warranties, while imitation brand manufacturers may provide little to no support if a device should break.

Says Knoettgen, "Personally, my favorite device is the sixth generation iPod Classic - it will play or convert just about any music type, it works with the most popular music download services, it has the fewest unsolvable problems, and there is great support available."

For information on specific audio players and device formatting, the public can visit http://fixya.com and enter a question by brand or category.