Auto-run CD that opens a video?

"I want to create an auto-run CD that
will play a video ...

MakeInstantPlayer is a tool for creating self-running video files, based on the MPlayer engine.

This is very useful for distributing
videos, as the user doesn't need any
additional software for playback. As
MakeInstantPlayer uses the MPlayer
engine for playback, it supports
almost any existing video format.
MakeInstantPlayer uses NSIS to pack
everthing to one single EXE file.

MakeInstantPlayer is open source freeware.

... without needing any codecs.

MPlayer does require codecs, but they don't have to be installed: to ensure the movie will play everywhere, check the box Include Codecs so the codec required to play the movie will be included in the single EXE file.

to create a CD that will autorun the movie would require an AUTORUN.INF file similar to:

[autorun]
open=your_video.exe
icon=your_video.exe"