Starting today, Canadian cable subscribers are going to get the closest thing to HULU they’ll ever get.

Rogers Cable has launched Rogers on Demand Online, a service that offers Canadians the chance to watch programs using their computers and mobile devices.

The content is low to start, but the company says it will be rolling out its entire line-up of channels in the coming months. For now we’re stuck with current shows like Cougar Town and Ugly Betty, as well as a few classics like The West Wing. The ability to eventually watch all the programs that you happen to miss is very promising, though.

“We’re no longer in the cable TV business,” says David Purdy, VP of Video Product Management.

“We’re in the video entertainment business.”

While that may be true, there is a downside to this whole thing that isn’t very user friendly. Unlike most cable on demand services that remove commercials, Rogers on Demand Online users will be required to watch them, without the ability to fast forward. They’ll also be subjected to banner ads and other online promo material. Also, if you don’t subscribe to a channel with your regular cable package, then you won’t be able to view it using the On Demand Online service. If you use Rogers as your internet provider, anything you watch through the service will also count toward your monthly bandwidth cap, as well.

While the service looks promising, there’s still a long way to go for the Canadian media giant to catch up to its U.S. counterparts. Either way, I’ll be there, checking it out with the rest of my country’s men and women. Excited at first, until I remember that the best way to watch something I miss is just to catch it on DVD.