Question

I want to create an auto-run CD that will play a video without needing any codecs. Is there software that can do this for me? Or would I have to write something myself?

Answer 1

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

Answer 2

You could use Media Player Classic as the autorun program, and add the video file as an argument to the player. Not sure about licensing issues on this though.