1. Number of speakers - Most Home Theaters come only with 2.1 speaker system, that’s two front speakers and a subwoofer. For a true theater experience, you should consider getting a system with at least a 5.1 speaker setup. This gives you true surround sound.

2. Decoding - In order to enjoy DVDs with tracks that are encoded in Dolby Digital, or DTS make sure that the system you get can decode these tracks. At the very least your choice should have support for Dolby Digital.

3. Format Transfort - Aside from DVDs, some of the new players in these systems can play back  a number of multimedia formats that are more at home on computers. MP3s, JPEGs and DivX files are now finding support with the newer systems.

So, I guess my friend and his California cosmetic surgeons, can enjoy their system now for I already give them the list on what to look for when buying Home Theaters.