In order for the tv shows to show up in front row, they need to be playable by itunes.
What format are your dvd rips? Hopefully not video_Ts..
You should convert your videos to MP4 in either MPEG4 or H.264 format.. If you ever want them to work on an iPod, the size of the video needs to be less than 640x480. If you are only going to watch them via front row it does not really matter (I don't think).
How do you watch the tv shows now? If they are in a quicktime format, add them to your itunes library. If you have them on an external drive, you can turn off "copy files to itunes library" to keep them where they are.
My tip of the day is to buy an external drive enclosure and a bare hard drive. Then move all of your video files to that... I have over 100 of my personal dvds stored on an external drive ready to watch.. It is much more convenient to pick a movie to watch from itunes than to search through a large dvd collection.. If the mpaa even thinks of getting mad, they are jerks.. I paid for every one of those movies and don't share them with anyone.
Handbrake is how you should rip dvds. On a MBP, I can get about 60 FPS
