It's got a good assortment of features (all the standard processing modes, 3 component inputs to go with the two HDMI inputs, video transcoding) and a decent power rating (although it doesn't even list a rating at 4 ohms, which might be an issue if your father-in-law has 4 ohm speakes). I don't know how it sounds, but from a feature standpoint it looks like a good mix - and Onkyo's got a decent reputation, so it ought to sound as good as any surround receiver in that price range.