Front Row of course, was introduced by Apple to handle the interface requirements of AppleTV. However it and the Apple Remote will work on any Mac with an IR interface.
Additionally by using the keyboard instead of a remote, it is possible to use Front Row on any Leopard compatible Mac. I just tried it out and was amazed how easily it found all my video on my hard drive as well as music and podcasts photos.
All is not perfect. It could not play a few videos that Miro had downloaded in a different format and photographs that were not in iPhoto at the correct orientation show on their side.
Additionally I typically watch video in a window or listen to audio while I am doing other things on the Mac. Front Row uses the whole screen. However, if you have a 24″ iMac, you could use it to replace your TV especially if you are limited for space like in a dorm.
