Various embodiments enable a server system to convert data for client devices by identifying capabilities associated with various distributed devices, and utilizing those capabilities to select distributed devices to convert data. In one embodiment, a tangible computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions comprising: instructions to receive a request from a requesting device to convert a data set from a first format to a second format, instructions to communicate with one or more distributed devices, wherein the one or more distributed devices are capable of converting data from the first format to the second format, instructions to access a database which stores capability vectors associated with one or more distributed devices, the capability vectors identifying a characteristic of the one or more distributed devices, and instructions to use at least one capability vector to select at least one distributed device to convert the data set from the first format to the second format.