I am actually doing the free trial for YouTube TV and DirecTV Now for a week. I tried PSVue when it first came out, and found that it was lacking. I recently got a Vizio 65 in E series "monitor". It does not have a tuner so I cannot simply run coax from an HD antenna to get my local channels, which are spotty due to the distance to the towers. So, local channels are am important part of the equation.
YouTube TV has all network channels (ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and even CW). The locals are from Green Bay WI, which is about 90 min away, but not a big deal. DirecTV Now does not offer any local options for me at this time. 1 point for YouTube.
The YouTube interface is very intuitive, and follows their YouTube online format closely, so if you like that, you will like YouTube TV. It feels very light and quick. No lags. DirecTV Now has a more complicated look and feel, and is very laggy (moreso on my Roku Streaming Stick+ vs my Fire TV box). Another point for YouTube.
Channel selection. YouTube TV offers one option, and is missing several channels that I may or may not miss over time (HGTV, FOOD Network, etc.). It does have a good selection of channels I actually do watch though, including Fox Sports WI sand the Big Ten channel. DirecTV Now has several channel packages, depending on the channels you need. I like the flexibility of changing packages depending on the channels I want at the time. For instance, I would need to get the $60 package with the NBA channel during that season since my son is a big fan. On the flip side, YouTube has that channel in their lineup already for $40. Hopefully YouTube adds more channels in the future, but for now, a point for DirecTV Now.
DVR capabilities. YouTube TV has unlimited recording, but apparently there is some uproar about the recording actually reverting to the VOD of the show which is a big deal to some people. Not me. I like how easy it is to navigate to the recording in your library. For DirecTV Now, it is a similar experience, but I have not played back many recordings on either to be honest. DirecTV Now does limit your recordings to 20 hours in their beta, which is a deal breaker for my wife. Another point for YouTube TV.
Ease of use. This is a big one, since my experiment with PSVue a while back failed to launch because my wife and kids could not navigate the menu and guide. Fast forward almost two years and we have a YouTube TV interface that looks and feels like YouTube. Everyone in my household is an expert on YouTube so they "get" this right away. Again, it is very fast and the screen is organized so logically. The guide is refreshing, with big icons showing the channel and show. It really makes it easy to use. DirecTV Now has improved from last year, but the whole interface is dark and very busy. I love technology but find myself struggling to figure out how to get back to the guide or find my recordings. Not as intuitive as YouTube TV. And another point for YouTube TV.
Picture quality. Both are better than Dish. Period. I watched the same program, switching from Dish to YouTube TV to DirecTV Now. YouTube TV and DirecTV Now were considerably clearer pictures. And the sound was better too.
A couple of disclaimers. I am using a new Roku Streaming Stick+ for these trials. Since Google and Amazon cannot get along, I cannot use the two Fire TV boxes that I own to test out YouTube TV. The Roku is 4K ready and is very fast with WiFi, even faster than my Fire TV box that is hard wired. And no buffering at all. I have 60 Mbps with Spectrum, but have had no problem with buffering or blur so far on either YouTube it DirecTV Now. The simple Roku remote is great and controls my TV volume and on and off.
Second disclaimer, I am heavily invested in Google products, including Android phones, Google Home speakers and the Google Assistant. With that said, YouTube TV just seems like a better product.
I am currently with Dish Network, paying about $120 per month for their Top 20 plus HBO, with a few credits expiring in July. As mentioned, there are a lot of channels there that I don't watch. YouTube TV is $40 plus another $15 for HBO Now puts me at $55 per month. DirecTV Now ranges from $40 to $65 including HBO for $5 a month. So half or less than what I'm paying now. Plus no weather outages with streaming, which have been a lot with Dish with the storms we have been having lately. Plus I could get rid of the dish on my roof.
Streaming has come a long way in the past two years. These two options are very good, but I am finding YouTube TV to be the better product so far. I can afford to pay the higher cost of Dish, but why should I?
I hope this post helps anyone who has questions about making the move to streaming.