According to GamesIndustry.biz, the Xbox Live Video Marketplace is finally available in Canada (and some European countries) on December 11th. XBLVM launched a year ago in the U.S.

On the one hand, I really like the idea of downloading individual videos over the web. iTunes still hasn’t gotten their shit together up here so Microsoft is way out in front on this one.

On the other hand, these are temporary video “rentals” that probably cost too much. MS says that prices will remain the same as the U.S. and Euro counterparts – indeed this is the excuse they give for employing their damnable points system rather than actual currency. So we should expect 280 points ($3.50) for standard-def rentals and 380 points ($4.75) for HD ones, since the Canadian dollar has been at-par or slightly over the US dollar for awhile now.

On the third, most useful hand, there is also a bit of a catch in doing this on an Xbox 360. As you know, their hardware reliability is not the best in the world. The problem is this: MS is so stingy with their content DRM that if you have to replace your 360, that means that you must be logged into Live whenever you want to access your downloaded content from now on. Not a big deal typically, but if your net access goes down or you take your box to the cottage, you’re in for a rude surprise.

Anyways – these videos self-destruct 24 hours after you watch the first time, or 15 days after you download it regardless of viewing. And then thugs come over to your house in the night and wreck up the place.

Oh, and one of the bullet-points from today’s Dashboard Update tells us that they’ve ‘enhanced’ regional controls for downloadable content, so I’m guessing the video selection here (and in Europe) will be a pale shadow of what the U.S. gets. Actually –I don’t have to guess. The list of all 27 Euro launch movies is in the linked article, including such luminary films as Eraser, Swordfish, Executive Decision and Demolition Man.

If it seems like I’m down on the service, it’s because I am. Love the idea, hate the execution. Just sell me the damn things for a reasonable price, you fuckers. I’m already on your closed proprietary network to download the content – exactly how many nooses must I wear?