Keith-- I'm sure many people are interested in helping, but just don't own a Cyberhome. Unless someone has one, we can't verify the IR capabilities, but I'd be amazed if it did not meet your needs.
You ask if the IR receiver is sensitive enough to be placed behind a rack's vent panel-- IMHO, that is more dependent on the material in the vent panel than the sensitivity of the IR sensor. Do a test of your own, using any other IR device that you own. If the signal will pass through the vent panel, then the Cyberhome's IR will likely work. Besides, if it doesn't, you can always return it.
Your first question is easy-- if you are buying a DVD (format) intro, then any DVD player should work. If the intro is in another video format, you'll need to make sure the Cyberhome will play it. The Cyberhome supports the following video formats: DVD, VCD, SVCD, MPEG, and DVD ± R/RW. In all likelihood, you'll probably be OK in this regard.
A quick internet search indicates it won't do MPEG-4.
http://www.valleyforums.com/showthread.php?t=137
