A method of resolving schedule conflicts in schedules that govern the receipt and recordation of media programs by a client device (104, 106,..., 108), which affect the client device that employs virtual tuner functionality, comprising: establishing a schedule, that specifies plural media programs, for the client device to receive for recording the plural media programs at the client device by receiving transmission of the plural media programs from an operations center over a communication channel at a specified timing, wherein the schedule specifies that the plural media programs will be transmitted over a network in a specified first format version to the client device at the specified timing for recording at the client device; identifying a conflict in the schedule; as a result of identifying the conflict in the schedule, determining from a media program guide source that a second format version of one or more of the media programs is available to be transmitted to the client device for recording at the specified timing, wherein the second format version of the one or more media programs will consume a lower amount of bandwidth of the communication channel than the specified first format version of the media program; enumerating a solution to said conflict in the schedule, wherein said solution takes into account: (a) a total amount of bandwidth available to the client device (104, 106,..., 108) to receive media programs; and (b) an amount of bandwidth consumed by each of said plural media programs in the schedule, wherein the solution includes replacing one or more of the media programs scheduled to be received over the communication channel for recording in the specified first format version with the one or more media programs in the second format version that consumes a lower amount of the bandwidth of the communication channel than the specified first format version; and resolving said conflict in the schedule based on said solution. establishing a schedule, that specifies plural media programs, for the client device to receive for recording the plural media programs at the client device by receiving transmission of the plural media programs from an operations center over a communication channel at a specified timing, wherein the schedule specifies that the plural media programs will be transmitted over a network in a specified first format version to the client device at the specified timing for recording at the client device; identifying a conflict in the schedule; as a result of identifying the conflict in the schedule, determining from a media program guide source that a second format version of one or more of the media programs is available to be transmitted to the client device for recording at the specified timing, wherein the second format version of the one or more media programs will consume a lower amount of bandwidth of the communication channel than the specified first format version of the media program; enumerating a solution to said conflict in the schedule, wherein said solution takes into account: (a) a total amount of bandwidth available to the client device (104, 106,..., 108) to receive media programs; and (b) an amount of bandwidth consumed by each of said plural media programs in the schedule, (a) a total amount of bandwidth available to the client device (104, 106,..., 108) to receive media programs; and (b) an amount of bandwidth consumed by each of said plural media programs in the schedule, wherein the solution includes replacing one or more of the media programs scheduled to be received over the communication channel for recording in the specified first format version with the one or more media programs in the second format version that consumes a lower amount of the bandwidth of the communication channel than the specified first format version; and resolving said conflict in the schedule based on said solution.