diff --git a/libs/hwcodec/README.md b/libs/hwcodec/README.md
index d81e614b..f9f899f6 100644
--- a/libs/hwcodec/README.md
+++ b/libs/hwcodec/README.md
@@ -41,6 +41,22 @@ Based on the information above, there are several optimizations and changes made
 * remove hevc_vaapi because of possible poor quality
 * amf: not tested, https://github.com/GPUOpen-LibrariesAndSDKs/AMF/issues/378
 
+#### Owned NV12 input
+
+The `bytes` feature provides `Encoder::encode_owned_bytes` for packed NV12
+input to FFmpeg V4L2 M2M encoders. It holds a `Bytes` owner in a read-only
+`AVBufferRef` until FFmpeg releases its last reference, instead of copying the
+input into an intermediate AVFrame. Other encoders retain the existing copy
+path. Converted or stride-compacted One-KVM input also retains that path.
+
+`ONE_KVM_V4L2_OWNED_INPUT=0` disables this optimization when the encoder is
+created, allowing comparisons with the same binary. `ONE_KVM_VIDEO_STATS=1`
+enables preparation, send-frame, receive-packet, callback and output-copy
+timings. One-KVM reports them in `[VideoInputPerf]` at five-second intervals;
+`copied_bytes` counts only the intermediate raw-input copy, not FFmpeg's
+remaining copy into V4L2 MMAP buffers. Encoded packet detachment remains in
+place to avoid retaining scarce V4L2 capture buffers in downstream caches.
+
 ## System requirements
 
 * intel
diff --git a/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_encode.cpp b/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_encode.cpp
index 19ffd84b..856b751a 100644
--- a/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_encode.cpp
+++ b/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_encode.cpp
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ extern "C" {
 #include <libavutil/imgutils.h>
 #include <libavutil/log.h>
 #include <libavutil/opt.h>
+#include <libavutil/time.h>
 }
 
 #include <stdbool.h>
@@ -14,6 +15,8 @@ extern "C" {
 #include <string>
 
 #include "common.h"
+#include "ffmpeg_ram_encode_stats.h"
+#include "owned_nv12_frame.h"
 
 #define LOG_MODULE "FFMPEG_RAM_ENC"
 #include <log.h>
@@ -146,6 +149,8 @@ public:
   RamEncodePacketCallback packet_callback_ = NULL;
   int offset_[AV_NUM_DATA_POINTERS] = {0};
   bool force_keyframe_ = false;  // Force next frame to be a keyframe
+  bool measure_ = false;
+  RamEncodeStats stats_ = {};
 
   AVHWDeviceType hw_device_type_ = AV_HWDEVICE_TYPE_NONE;
   AVPixelFormat hw_pixfmt_ = AV_PIX_FMT_NONE;
@@ -170,6 +175,8 @@ public:
     thread_count_ = thread_count;
     gpu_ = gpu;
     callback_ = callback;
+    const char *stats_setting = getenv("ONE_KVM_VIDEO_STATS");
+    measure_ = stats_setting && strcmp(stats_setting, "1") == 0;
     if (name_.find("vaapi") != std::string::npos) {
       hw_device_type_ = AV_HWDEVICE_TYPE_VAAPI;
       hw_pixfmt_ = AV_PIX_FMT_VAAPI;
@@ -298,6 +305,7 @@ public:
 
   int encode(const uint8_t *data, int length, const void *obj, uint64_t ms) {
     int ret;
+    const int64_t prepare_start = timer_start();
 
     if ((ret = av_frame_make_writable(frame_)) != 0) {
       LOG_ERROR(std::string("av_frame_make_writable failed, ret = ") + av_err2str(ret));
@@ -316,9 +324,42 @@ public:
       tmp_frame = frame_;
     }
 
+    timer_add(stats_.prepare_us, prepare_start);
+    if (measure_) {
+      stats_.input_frames++;
+      stats_.copied_frames++;
+      const int bytes = av_image_get_buffer_size(pixfmt_, width_, height_, 1);
+      if (bytes > 0)
+        stats_.copied_bytes += bytes;
+    }
+
     return do_encode(tmp_frame, obj, ms);
   }
 
+  int encode_owned_packet(const uint8_t *data, int length, void *owner,
+                           RamInputRelease release, const void *obj,
+                           uint64_t ms, RamEncodePacketCallback callback) {
+    if (pixfmt_ != AV_PIX_FMT_NV12 || hw_device_type_ != AV_HWDEVICE_TYPE_NONE ||
+        name_.find("v4l2m2m") == std::string::npos) {
+      release(owner, const_cast<uint8_t *>(data));
+      return AVERROR(ENOSYS);
+    }
+    const int64_t prepare_start = timer_start();
+    auto frame = make_owned_nv12_frame(data, length, width_, height_, owner,
+                                       release);
+    timer_add(stats_.prepare_us, prepare_start);
+    if (!frame)
+      return AVERROR(EINVAL);
+    if (measure_) {
+      stats_.input_frames++;
+      stats_.borrowed_frames++;
+    }
+    packet_callback_ = callback;
+    int ret = do_encode(frame.get(), obj, ms);
+    packet_callback_ = NULL;
+    return ret;
+  }
+
   int encode_packet(const uint8_t *data, int length, const void *obj,
                     uint64_t ms, RamEncodePacketCallback callback) {
     packet_callback_ = callback;
@@ -345,6 +386,20 @@ public:
   }
 
 private:
+  int64_t timer_start() const { return measure_ ? av_gettime_relative() : 0; }
+
+  void timer_add(uint64_t &elapsed, int64_t start) const {
+    if (measure_)
+      elapsed += av_gettime_relative() - start;
+  }
+
+  int send_frame(AVFrame *frame) {
+    const int64_t start = timer_start();
+    const int ret = avcodec_send_frame(c_, frame);
+    timer_add(stats_.send_us, start);
+    return ret;
+  }
+
   int set_hwframe_ctx() {
     AVBufferRef *hw_frames_ref;
     AVHWFramesContext *frames_ctx = NULL;
@@ -386,13 +441,13 @@ private:
     }
     force_keyframe_ = false;
 
-    ret = avcodec_send_frame(c_, frame);
+    ret = send_frame(frame);
     if (ret == AVERROR(EAGAIN)) {
       int drain_ret = receive_available_packets(obj, encoded);
       if (drain_ret < 0) {
         return drain_ret;
       }
-      ret = avcodec_send_frame(c_, frame);
+      ret = send_frame(frame);
     }
     if (ret == AVERROR(EAGAIN)) {
       return encoded ? 0 : AVERROR(EAGAIN);
@@ -417,7 +472,9 @@ private:
     auto start = util::now();
 
     while (util::elapsed_ms(start) < DECODE_TIMEOUT_MS) {
+      const int64_t receive_start = timer_start();
       ret = avcodec_receive_packet(c_, pkt_);
+      timer_add(stats_.receive_us, receive_start);
       if (ret == AVERROR(EAGAIN) || ret == AVERROR_EOF) {
         return 0;
       }
@@ -432,6 +489,7 @@ private:
         continue;
       }
       encoded = true;
+      const int64_t packet_start = timer_start();
       if (packet_callback_) {
         AVPacket *owned_pkt = av_packet_clone(pkt_);
         if (!owned_pkt) {
@@ -447,6 +505,7 @@ private:
                   pkt_->flags & AV_PKT_FLAG_KEY, obj);
       }
       av_packet_unref(pkt_);
+      timer_add(stats_.packet_us, packet_start);
     }
 
     return 0;
@@ -704,6 +763,31 @@ extern "C" void ffmpeg_ram_free_packet(void *packet) {
   }
 }
 
+extern "C" int ffmpeg_ram_encode_owned_packet(
+    FFmpegRamEncoder *encoder, const uint8_t *data, int length, void *owner,
+    RamInputRelease release, const void *obj, uint64_t ms,
+    RamEncodePacketCallback callback) {
+  if (!encoder || !release) {
+    if (release)
+      release(owner, const_cast<uint8_t *>(data));
+    return AVERROR(EINVAL);
+  }
+  try {
+    return encoder->encode_owned_packet(data, length, owner, release, obj, ms,
+                                        callback);
+  } catch (const std::exception &e) {
+    encoder->packet_callback_ = NULL;
+    LOG_ERROR(std::string("encode_owned_packet failed, ") + e.what());
+    return -1;
+  }
+}
+
+extern "C" void ffmpeg_ram_encoder_stats(FFmpegRamEncoder *encoder,
+                                         RamEncodeStats *stats) {
+  if (encoder && stats)
+    *stats = encoder->stats_;
+}
+
 extern "C" int ffmpeg_ram_set_bitrate(FFmpegRamEncoder *encoder, int kbs) {
   try {
     return encoder->set_bitrate(kbs);
diff --git a/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_encode_stats.h b/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_encode_stats.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..231a195b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_encode_stats.h
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+#ifndef FFMPEG_RAM_ENCODE_STATS_H
+#define FFMPEG_RAM_ENCODE_STATS_H
+
+#include <stdint.h>
+
+typedef struct RamEncodeStats {
+  uint64_t input_frames;
+  uint64_t borrowed_frames;
+  uint64_t copied_frames;
+  uint64_t copied_bytes;
+  uint64_t prepare_us;
+  uint64_t send_us;
+  uint64_t receive_us;
+  uint64_t packet_us;
+} RamEncodeStats;
+
+#endif
diff --git a/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_ffi.h b/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_ffi.h
index b30de54c..516ca69c 100644
--- a/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_ffi.h
+++ b/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/ffmpeg_ram_ffi.h
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 #define FFMPEG_RAM_FFI_H
 
 #include <stdint.h>
+#include "ffmpeg_ram_encode_stats.h"
 
 #define AV_NUM_DATA_POINTERS 8
 
@@ -24,6 +25,12 @@ int ffmpeg_ram_encode(void *encoder, const uint8_t *data, int length,
 int ffmpeg_ram_encode_packet(void *encoder, const uint8_t *data, int length,
                              const void *obj, int64_t ms,
                              RamEncodePacketCallback callback);
+int ffmpeg_ram_encode_owned_packet(void *encoder, const uint8_t *data,
+                                   int length, void *owner,
+                                   void (*release)(void *, uint8_t *),
+                                   const void *obj, int64_t ms,
+                                   RamEncodePacketCallback callback);
+void ffmpeg_ram_encoder_stats(void *encoder, RamEncodeStats *stats);
 void ffmpeg_ram_free_encoder(void *encoder);
 void ffmpeg_ram_free_packet(void *packet);
 int ffmpeg_ram_get_linesize_offset_length(int pix_fmt, int width, int height,
diff --git a/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/owned_nv12_frame.h b/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/owned_nv12_frame.h
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2b88b121
--- /dev/null
+++ b/libs/hwcodec/cpp/ffmpeg_ram/owned_nv12_frame.h
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#ifndef OWNED_NV12_FRAME_H
+#define OWNED_NV12_FRAME_H
+
+extern "C" {
+#include <libavutil/frame.h>
+}
+
+#include <limits>
+#include <memory>
+
+using RamInputRelease = void (*)(void *, uint8_t *);
+
+struct RamFrameDeleter {
+  void operator()(AVFrame *frame) const { av_frame_free(&frame); }
+};
+
+using RamOwnedFrame = std::unique_ptr<AVFrame, RamFrameDeleter>;
+
+static RamOwnedFrame make_owned_nv12_frame(const uint8_t *data, int length,
+                                            int width, int height, void *owner,
+                                            RamInputRelease release) {
+  const int64_t pixels = static_cast<int64_t>(width) * height;
+  if (!data || !release || width <= 0 || height <= 0 || width % 2 ||
+      height % 2 || pixels > std::numeric_limits<int>::max() / 3 * 2 ||
+      length < pixels + pixels / 2) {
+    if (release)
+      release(owner, const_cast<uint8_t *>(data));
+    return RamOwnedFrame();
+  }
+  RamOwnedFrame frame(av_frame_alloc());
+  if (!frame) {
+    release(owner, const_cast<uint8_t *>(data));
+    return frame;
+  }
+  frame->buf[0] = av_buffer_create(const_cast<uint8_t *>(data), length, release,
+                                  owner, AV_BUFFER_FLAG_READONLY);
+  if (!frame->buf[0]) {
+    release(owner, const_cast<uint8_t *>(data));
+    return RamOwnedFrame();
+  }
+  frame->format = AV_PIX_FMT_NV12;
+  frame->width = width;
+  frame->height = height;
+  frame->data[0] = frame->buf[0]->data;
+  frame->data[1] = frame->data[0] + pixels;
+  frame->linesize[0] = width;
+  frame->linesize[1] = width;
+  return frame;
+}
+
+#endif
diff --git a/libs/hwcodec/src/ffmpeg_ram/encode.rs b/libs/hwcodec/src/ffmpeg_ram/encode.rs
index 7f01dff0..6daf6458 100644
--- a/libs/hwcodec/src/ffmpeg_ram/encode.rs
+++ b/libs/hwcodec/src/ffmpeg_ram/encode.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #[cfg(feature = "bytes")]
-use crate::ffmpeg_ram::{ffmpeg_ram_encode_packet, ffmpeg_ram_free_packet};
+use crate::ffmpeg_ram::{
+    ffmpeg_ram_encode_owned_packet, ffmpeg_ram_encode_packet, ffmpeg_ram_free_packet,
+};
 use crate::{
     common::DataFormat::{self, *},
     ffmpeg::{init_av_log, AVPixelFormat},
@@ -498,6 +500,23 @@ pub struct Encoder {
     pub linesize: Vec<i32>,
     pub offset: Vec<i32>,
     pub length: i32,
+    owned_nv12_input: bool,
+    measure: bool,
+    #[cfg(feature = "bytes")]
+    output_copy_us: u64,
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, Default)]
+pub struct EncodeInputStats {
+    pub input_frames: u64,
+    pub borrowed_frames: u64,
+    pub copied_frames: u64,
+    pub copied_bytes: u64,
+    pub prepare_us: u64,
+    pub send_us: u64,
+    pub receive_us: u64,
+    pub packet_us: u64,
+    pub output_copy_us: u64,
 }
 
 impl Encoder {
@@ -545,6 +564,9 @@ impl Encoder {
                 return Err(());
             }
 
+            let owned_nv12_input = ctx.name.ends_with("_v4l2m2m")
+                && ctx.pixfmt == AVPixelFormat::AV_PIX_FMT_NV12 as i32
+                && std::env::var("ONE_KVM_V4L2_OWNED_INPUT").as_deref() != Ok("0");
             Ok(Encoder {
                 codec,
                 frames: Box::into_raw(Box::new(Vec::<EncodeFrame>::new())),
@@ -552,6 +574,10 @@ impl Encoder {
                 linesize,
                 offset,
                 length: length[0],
+                owned_nv12_input,
+                measure: std::env::var("ONE_KVM_VIDEO_STATS").as_deref() == Ok("1"),
+                #[cfg(feature = "bytes")]
+                output_copy_us: 0,
             })
         }
     }
@@ -581,33 +607,107 @@ impl Encoder {
 
     #[cfg(feature = "bytes")]
     pub fn encode_bytes(&mut self, data: &[u8], ms: i64) -> Result<Vec<EncodeBytesFrame>, i32> {
+        let length = c_int::try_from(data.len()).map_err(|_| -22)?;
         unsafe {
             let mut frames = Vec::<EncodeBytesFrame>::new();
             let result = ffmpeg_ram_encode_packet(
                 self.codec,
                 data.as_ptr(),
-                data.len() as _,
+                length,
                 &mut frames as *mut _ as *const c_void,
                 ms,
                 Some(Encoder::packet_callback),
             );
-            if result == -11 || result == 0 {
-                if self.ctx.name.contains("v4l2m2m") {
-                    return Ok(frames
-                        .into_iter()
-                        .map(|frame| EncodeBytesFrame {
-                            data: Bytes::copy_from_slice(frame.data.as_ref()),
-                            pts: frame.pts,
-                            key: frame.key,
-                        })
-                        .collect());
-                }
-                return Ok(frames);
-            }
-            Err(result)
+            self.finish_bytes_encode(frames, result)
         }
     }
 
+    pub fn supports_owned_nv12_input(&self) -> bool {
+        self.owned_nv12_input
+    }
+
+    pub fn input_stats(&self) -> Option<EncodeInputStats> {
+        if !self.measure {
+            return None;
+        }
+        let mut stats = unsafe { std::mem::zeroed() };
+        unsafe { crate::ffmpeg_ram::ffmpeg_ram_encoder_stats(self.codec, &mut stats) };
+        Some(EncodeInputStats {
+            input_frames: stats.input_frames,
+            borrowed_frames: stats.borrowed_frames,
+            copied_frames: stats.copied_frames,
+            copied_bytes: stats.copied_bytes,
+            prepare_us: stats.prepare_us,
+            send_us: stats.send_us,
+            receive_us: stats.receive_us,
+            packet_us: stats.packet_us,
+            #[cfg(feature = "bytes")]
+            output_copy_us: self.output_copy_us,
+            #[cfg(not(feature = "bytes"))]
+            output_copy_us: 0,
+        })
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(feature = "bytes")]
+    pub fn encode_owned_bytes(
+        &mut self,
+        data: Bytes,
+        ms: i64,
+    ) -> Result<Vec<EncodeBytesFrame>, i32> {
+        if !self.owned_nv12_input {
+            return self.encode_bytes(data.as_ref(), ms);
+        }
+        let length = c_int::try_from(data.len()).map_err(|_| -22)?;
+        let owner = Box::new(data);
+        let pointer = owner.as_ptr();
+        let mut frames = Vec::<EncodeBytesFrame>::new();
+        let result = unsafe {
+            ffmpeg_ram_encode_owned_packet(
+                self.codec,
+                pointer,
+                length,
+                Box::into_raw(owner) as *mut c_void,
+                Some(Self::release_input),
+                &mut frames as *mut _ as *const c_void,
+                ms,
+                Some(Self::packet_callback),
+            )
+        };
+        self.finish_bytes_encode(frames, result)
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(feature = "bytes")]
+    fn finish_bytes_encode(
+        &mut self,
+        frames: Vec<EncodeBytesFrame>,
+        result: i32,
+    ) -> Result<Vec<EncodeBytesFrame>, i32> {
+        if result != -11 && result != 0 {
+            return Err(result);
+        }
+        if !self.ctx.name.contains("v4l2m2m") {
+            return Ok(frames);
+        }
+        let start = self.measure.then(std::time::Instant::now);
+        let detached = frames
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|frame| EncodeBytesFrame {
+                data: Bytes::copy_from_slice(frame.data.as_ref()),
+                pts: frame.pts,
+                key: frame.key,
+            })
+            .collect();
+        if let Some(start) = start {
+            self.output_copy_us += start.elapsed().as_micros() as u64;
+        }
+        Ok(detached)
+    }
+
+    #[cfg(feature = "bytes")]
+    extern "C" fn release_input(owner: *mut c_void, _data: *mut u8) {
+        unsafe { drop(Box::from_raw(owner as *mut Bytes)) };
+    }
+
     extern "C" fn callback(data: *const u8, size: c_int, pts: i64, key: i32, obj: *const c_void) {
         unsafe {
             let frames = &mut *(obj as *mut Vec<EncodeFrame>);
diff --git a/src/video/codec/h264.rs b/src/video/codec/h264.rs
index 8b0ac59a..7465c4a7 100644
--- a/src/video/codec/h264.rs
+++ b/src/video/codec/h264.rs
@@ -370,7 +370,37 @@ impl H264Encoder {
 
         self.frame_count += 1;
 
-        match self.inner.encode_bytes(data, pts_ms) {
+        let result = self.inner.encode_bytes(data, pts_ms);
+        Self::finish_encode(result)
+    }
+
+    pub fn supports_owned_nv12_input(&self) -> bool {
+        self.inner.supports_owned_nv12_input()
+    }
+
+    pub fn input_stats(&self) -> Option<hwcodec::ffmpeg_ram::encode::EncodeInputStats> {
+        self.inner.input_stats()
+    }
+
+    pub fn encode_owned_nv12(&mut self, data: Bytes, pts_ms: i64) -> Result<Vec<HwEncodeFrame>> {
+        if !self.supports_owned_nv12_input() {
+            return self.encode_raw(data.as_ref(), pts_ms);
+        }
+        if data.len() < self.yuv_length as usize {
+            return Err(AppError::VideoError(format!(
+                "Frame data too small: {} < {}",
+                data.len(),
+                self.yuv_length
+            )));
+        }
+        self.frame_count += 1;
+        Self::finish_encode(self.inner.encode_owned_bytes(data, pts_ms))
+    }
+
+    fn finish_encode(
+        result: std::result::Result<Vec<hwcodec::ffmpeg_ram::encode::EncodeBytesFrame>, i32>,
+    ) -> Result<Vec<HwEncodeFrame>> {
+        match result {
             Ok(frames) => {
                 let owned_frames: Vec<HwEncodeFrame> = frames
                     .into_iter()
@@ -490,6 +520,39 @@ impl Encoder for H264Encoder {
 mod tests {
     use super::*;
 
+    #[test]
+    fn owned_input_fallback_preserves_software_packets_and_pts() {
+        let config = H264Config::low_latency(Resolution::new(64, 64), 500);
+        let mut copied = H264Encoder::with_codec(config.clone(), "libx264").unwrap();
+        let mut owned = H264Encoder::with_codec(config, "libx264").unwrap();
+        assert!(!owned.supports_owned_nv12_input());
+        let mut packets = 0;
+        for sequence in 0..12 {
+            let data = Bytes::from(vec![64 + sequence as u8; owned.yuv_length as usize]);
+            let pts = sequence * 33;
+            let expected = copied.encode_raw(data.as_ref(), pts).unwrap();
+            let actual = owned.encode_owned_nv12(data, pts).unwrap();
+            assert_eq!(actual.len(), expected.len());
+            packets += actual.len();
+            for (actual, expected) in actual.iter().zip(expected.iter()) {
+                assert_eq!(actual.data, expected.data);
+                assert_eq!(actual.pts, expected.pts);
+                assert_eq!(actual.key, expected.key);
+            }
+        }
+        assert!(packets > 0);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn owned_input_rejects_short_frame_before_encoding() {
+        let config = H264Config::low_latency(Resolution::new(64, 64), 500);
+        let mut encoder = H264Encoder::with_codec(config, "libx264").unwrap();
+        assert!(encoder
+            .encode_owned_nv12(Bytes::from_static(&[0]), 0)
+            .is_err());
+        assert_eq!(encoder.frame_count, 0);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn test_detect_encoder() {
         let (encoder_type, codec_name) = detect_best_encoder(1280, 720);
diff --git a/src/video/frame.rs b/src/video/frame.rs
index 9d0b43b0..404ffcdb 100644
--- a/src/video/frame.rs
+++ b/src/video/frame.rs
@@ -14,6 +14,14 @@ enum FrameData {
     Pooled(Arc<FrameBuffer>),
 }
 
+struct PooledFrameOwner(Arc<FrameBuffer>);
+
+impl AsRef<[u8]> for PooledFrameOwner {
+    fn as_ref(&self) -> &[u8] {
+        self.0.as_slice()
+    }
+}
+
 impl std::fmt::Debug for FrameData {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
         match self {
@@ -198,6 +206,13 @@ impl VideoFrame {
         }
     }
 
+    pub(crate) fn owned_data_bytes(&self) -> Bytes {
+        match &self.data {
+            FrameData::Bytes(bytes) => bytes.clone(),
+            FrameData::Pooled(buffer) => Bytes::from_owner(PooledFrameOwner(buffer.clone())),
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Get data length
     pub fn len(&self) -> usize {
         self.data().len()
@@ -302,3 +317,38 @@ impl From<&VideoFrame> for FrameMeta {
         }
     }
 }
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn owned_pooled_bytes_preserve_pointer_and_return_buffer_after_last_reference() {
+        let pool = Arc::new(FrameBufferPool::new(1));
+        let buffer = Arc::new(FrameBuffer::new(vec![17; 24], Some(pool.clone())));
+        let pointer = buffer.as_slice().as_ptr();
+        let frame = VideoFrame::from_pooled(buffer, Resolution::new(4, 4), PixelFormat::Nv12, 4, 1);
+        let bytes = frame.owned_data_bytes();
+        assert_eq!(bytes.as_ptr(), pointer);
+        let retained = bytes.slice(4..);
+        drop(frame);
+        drop(bytes);
+        assert!(pool.pool.lock().is_empty());
+        assert_eq!(retained.as_ref(), &[17; 20]);
+        drop(retained);
+        assert_eq!(pool.pool.lock().len(), 1);
+        let recycled = pool.take(24);
+        assert_eq!(recycled.as_ptr(), pointer);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn owned_bytes_input_is_a_shared_reference() {
+        let bytes = Bytes::from(vec![29; 24]);
+        let pointer = bytes.as_ptr();
+        let frame = VideoFrame::new(bytes, Resolution::new(4, 4), PixelFormat::Nv12, 4, 1);
+        let owned = frame.owned_data_bytes();
+        drop(frame);
+        assert_eq!(owned.as_ptr(), pointer);
+        assert_eq!(owned.as_ref(), &[29; 24]);
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/video/pipeline/encoder_state.rs b/src/video/pipeline/encoder_state.rs
index 346365b8..579665c7 100644
--- a/src/video/pipeline/encoder_state.rs
+++ b/src/video/pipeline/encoder_state.rs
@@ -33,6 +33,15 @@ pub(super) struct EncoderThreadState {
 
 pub(super) trait VideoEncoderTrait: Send {
     fn encode_raw(&mut self, data: &[u8], pts_ms: i64) -> Result<Vec<EncodedFrame>>;
+    fn supports_owned_nv12_input(&self) -> bool {
+        false
+    }
+    fn encode_owned_nv12(&mut self, data: Bytes, pts_ms: i64) -> Result<Vec<EncodedFrame>> {
+        self.encode_raw(data.as_ref(), pts_ms)
+    }
+    fn input_stats(&self) -> Option<hwcodec::ffmpeg_ram::encode::EncodeInputStats> {
+        None
+    }
     fn set_bitrate(&mut self, bitrate_kbps: u32) -> Result<()>;
     fn codec_name(&self) -> &str;
     fn request_keyframe(&mut self);
@@ -67,6 +76,27 @@ impl VideoEncoderTrait for H264EncoderWrapper {
         self.0.set_bitrate(bitrate_kbps)
     }
 
+    fn supports_owned_nv12_input(&self) -> bool {
+        self.0.supports_owned_nv12_input()
+    }
+
+    fn encode_owned_nv12(&mut self, data: Bytes, pts_ms: i64) -> Result<Vec<EncodedFrame>> {
+        Ok(self
+            .0
+            .encode_owned_nv12(data, pts_ms)?
+            .into_iter()
+            .map(|frame| EncodedFrame {
+                data: frame.data,
+                key: frame.key,
+                pts: frame.pts,
+            })
+            .collect())
+    }
+
+    fn input_stats(&self) -> Option<hwcodec::ffmpeg_ram::encode::EncodeInputStats> {
+        self.0.input_stats()
+    }
+
     fn codec_name(&self) -> &str {
         self.0.codec_name()
     }
@@ -91,7 +121,11 @@ fn create_h264_encoder(
         },
         codec_name,
     )?;
-    info!("Created H264 encoder: {}", encoder.codec_name());
+    info!(
+        "Created H264 encoder: {} owned_nv12_input={}",
+        encoder.codec_name(),
+        encoder.supports_owned_nv12_input()
+    );
     Ok(Box::new(H264EncoderWrapper(encoder)))
 }
 
diff --git a/src/video/pipeline/frame_mailbox.rs b/src/video/pipeline/frame_mailbox.rs
index 2e0fa2c8..02316c1f 100644
--- a/src/video/pipeline/frame_mailbox.rs
+++ b/src/video/pipeline/frame_mailbox.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,21 @@
 use std::sync::{Condvar, Mutex};
+use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
+
+#[derive(Debug, Default, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub(super) struct FrameWaitTimes {
+    pub(super) frame: Duration,
+    pub(super) output: Duration,
+}
+
+impl FrameWaitTimes {
+    fn record(&mut self, pending: bool, elapsed: Duration) {
+        if pending {
+            self.output += elapsed;
+        } else {
+            self.frame += elapsed;
+        }
+    }
+}
 
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
 pub(super) enum PublishResult {
@@ -50,10 +67,21 @@ impl<Frame> FrameMailbox<Frame> {
         self.receive_when(|| Some(())).map(|(frame, ())| frame)
     }
 
+    #[cfg(test)]
     pub(super) fn receive_when<Ready>(
         &self,
-        mut ready: impl FnMut() -> Option<Ready>,
+        ready: impl FnMut() -> Option<Ready>,
     ) -> Option<(Frame, Ready)> {
+        self.receive_when_timed(ready, false)
+            .map(|(frame, ready, _)| (frame, ready))
+    }
+
+    pub(super) fn receive_when_timed<Ready>(
+        &self,
+        mut ready: impl FnMut() -> Option<Ready>,
+        measure: bool,
+    ) -> Option<(Frame, Ready, FrameWaitTimes)> {
+        let mut waits = FrameWaitTimes::default();
         let mut state = self.state.lock().expect("frame mailbox lock poisoned");
         loop {
             if state.closed {
@@ -61,13 +89,18 @@ impl<Frame> FrameMailbox<Frame> {
             }
             if state.pending.is_some() {
                 if let Some(ready) = ready() {
-                    return state.pending.take().map(|frame| (frame, ready));
+                    return state.pending.take().map(|frame| (frame, ready, waits));
                 }
             }
+            let pending = state.pending.is_some();
+            let wait_started = measure.then(Instant::now);
             state = self
                 .available
                 .wait(state)
                 .expect("frame mailbox lock poisoned");
+            if let Some(started) = wait_started {
+                waits.record(pending, started.elapsed());
+            }
         }
     }
 
@@ -175,4 +208,107 @@ mod tests {
             worker.join().unwrap();
         }
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn wait_times_separate_missing_input_from_full_output() {
+        let mut waits = FrameWaitTimes::default();
+        waits.record(false, Duration::from_millis(3));
+        waits.record(true, Duration::from_millis(7));
+        waits.record(false, Duration::from_millis(2));
+        assert_eq!(waits.frame, Duration::from_millis(5));
+        assert_eq!(waits.output, Duration::from_millis(7));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn available_frame_has_no_wait_time() {
+        let mailbox = FrameMailbox::new();
+        mailbox.publish(1, "ready");
+        let result = mailbox.receive_when_timed(|| Some(42), true);
+        assert_eq!(result, Some(("ready", 42, FrameWaitTimes::default())));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn timed_output_wait_preserves_latest_frame_and_can_be_disabled() {
+        use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, Ordering};
+
+        for measure in [false, true] {
+            let mailbox = Arc::new(FrameMailbox::new());
+            mailbox.publish(1, "initial");
+            let ready = Arc::new(AtomicBool::new(false));
+            let receiver_mailbox = mailbox.clone();
+            let receiver_ready = ready.clone();
+            let (waiting_sender, waiting_receiver) = mpsc::channel();
+            let (result_sender, result_receiver) = mpsc::channel();
+            let worker = std::thread::spawn(move || {
+                let mut reported = false;
+                let result = receiver_mailbox.receive_when_timed(
+                    || {
+                        if receiver_ready.load(Ordering::Acquire) {
+                            Some(42)
+                        } else {
+                            if !reported {
+                                waiting_sender.send(()).unwrap();
+                                reported = true;
+                            }
+                            None
+                        }
+                    },
+                    measure,
+                );
+                result_sender.send(result).unwrap();
+            });
+            waiting_receiver
+                .recv_timeout(Duration::from_secs(2))
+                .unwrap();
+            mailbox.publish(2, "latest");
+            ready.store(true, Ordering::Release);
+            mailbox.notify();
+            let (frame, permit, waits) = result_receiver
+                .recv_timeout(Duration::from_secs(2))
+                .unwrap()
+                .unwrap();
+            assert_eq!((frame, permit), ("latest", 42));
+            assert_eq!(waits.frame, Duration::ZERO);
+            if measure {
+                assert!(waits.output > Duration::ZERO);
+            } else {
+                assert_eq!(waits, FrameWaitTimes::default());
+            }
+            worker.join().unwrap();
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn timed_receiver_exits_when_closed_without_output_capacity() {
+        let mailbox = Arc::new(FrameMailbox::new());
+        mailbox.publish(1, "pending");
+        let receiver = mailbox.clone();
+        let (waiting_sender, waiting_receiver) = mpsc::channel();
+        let (result_sender, result_receiver) = mpsc::channel();
+        let worker = std::thread::spawn(move || {
+            let mut reported = false;
+            let result = receiver.receive_when_timed(
+                || {
+                    if !reported {
+                        waiting_sender.send(()).unwrap();
+                        reported = true;
+                    }
+                    None::<()>
+                },
+                true,
+            );
+            result_sender.send(result).unwrap();
+        });
+        waiting_receiver
+            .recv_timeout(Duration::from_secs(2))
+            .unwrap();
+        mailbox.close();
+        assert_eq!(
+            result_receiver
+                .recv_timeout(Duration::from_secs(2))
+                .unwrap(),
+            None
+        );
+        worker.join().unwrap();
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/video/pipeline/mjpeg_admission.rs b/src/video/pipeline/mjpeg_admission.rs
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b274473d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/video/pipeline/mjpeg_admission.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,125 @@
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub(super) enum MjpegAdmissionPolicy {
+    PendingSlot,
+    BoundedPrefetch,
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub(super) enum MjpegAdmissionStage {
+    Capture,
+    Decode,
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub(super) enum MjpegDropReason {
+    PendingCapture,
+    PendingDecode,
+    BackpressureCapture,
+    BackpressureDecode,
+    WorkersBusy,
+}
+
+impl MjpegAdmissionPolicy {
+    pub(super) fn from_prefetch_setting(setting: Option<&str>) -> Self {
+        if setting == Some("0") {
+            Self::PendingSlot
+        } else {
+            Self::BoundedPrefetch
+        }
+    }
+
+    pub(super) fn check_pending(self, output_backpressured: bool) -> bool {
+        self == Self::PendingSlot || output_backpressured
+    }
+
+    pub(super) fn drop_reason(
+        self,
+        pending: bool,
+        output_backpressured: bool,
+        stage: MjpegAdmissionStage,
+    ) -> Option<MjpegDropReason> {
+        if !pending || !self.check_pending(output_backpressured) {
+            return None;
+        }
+        Some(match (output_backpressured, stage) {
+            (false, MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture) => MjpegDropReason::PendingCapture,
+            (false, MjpegAdmissionStage::Decode) => MjpegDropReason::PendingDecode,
+            (true, MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture) => MjpegDropReason::BackpressureCapture,
+            (true, MjpegAdmissionStage::Decode) => MjpegDropReason::BackpressureDecode,
+        })
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bounded_prefetch_is_default_and_zero_restores_pending_slot_policy() {
+        for setting in [None, Some("1"), Some(""), Some("invalid")] {
+            assert_eq!(
+                MjpegAdmissionPolicy::from_prefetch_setting(setting),
+                MjpegAdmissionPolicy::BoundedPrefetch
+            );
+        }
+        assert_eq!(
+            MjpegAdmissionPolicy::from_prefetch_setting(Some("0")),
+            MjpegAdmissionPolicy::PendingSlot
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn prefetch_keeps_decoding_while_output_has_capacity() {
+        for stage in [MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture, MjpegAdmissionStage::Decode] {
+            for pending in [false, true] {
+                assert_eq!(
+                    MjpegAdmissionPolicy::BoundedPrefetch.drop_reason(pending, false, stage),
+                    None
+                );
+            }
+        }
+        assert!(!MjpegAdmissionPolicy::BoundedPrefetch.check_pending(false));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn output_backpressure_preserves_one_pending_frame() {
+        for policy in [
+            MjpegAdmissionPolicy::BoundedPrefetch,
+            MjpegAdmissionPolicy::PendingSlot,
+        ] {
+            for (stage, reason) in [
+                (
+                    MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture,
+                    MjpegDropReason::BackpressureCapture,
+                ),
+                (
+                    MjpegAdmissionStage::Decode,
+                    MjpegDropReason::BackpressureDecode,
+                ),
+            ] {
+                assert_eq!(policy.drop_reason(false, true, stage), None);
+                assert_eq!(policy.drop_reason(true, true, stage), Some(reason));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn legacy_policy_drops_when_pending_even_without_output_backpressure() {
+        for (stage, reason) in [
+            (
+                MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture,
+                MjpegDropReason::PendingCapture,
+            ),
+            (MjpegAdmissionStage::Decode, MjpegDropReason::PendingDecode),
+        ] {
+            assert_eq!(
+                MjpegAdmissionPolicy::PendingSlot.drop_reason(false, false, stage),
+                None
+            );
+            assert_eq!(
+                MjpegAdmissionPolicy::PendingSlot.drop_reason(true, false, stage),
+                Some(reason)
+            );
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/video/pipeline/mod.rs b/src/video/pipeline/mod.rs
index cbd0f99d..27cf8f96 100644
--- a/src/video/pipeline/mod.rs
+++ b/src/video/pipeline/mod.rs
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 mod delivery;
 mod encoder_state;
 mod frame_mailbox;
+mod mjpeg_admission;
 mod shared;
 
 pub use delivery::EncodedVideoFrameReceiver;
diff --git a/src/video/pipeline/shared.rs b/src/video/pipeline/shared.rs
index 75b5f96e..92cd33c4 100644
--- a/src/video/pipeline/shared.rs
+++ b/src/video/pipeline/shared.rs
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ use super::delivery::{
 };
 use super::encoder_state::{build_encoder_state, should_parallel_decode_mjpeg, EncoderThreadState};
 use super::frame_mailbox::{FrameMailbox, PublishResult};
+use super::mjpeg_admission::{MjpegAdmissionPolicy, MjpegAdmissionStage, MjpegDropReason};
 
 #[cfg(all(target_os = "linux", any(target_arch = "aarch64", target_arch = "arm")))]
 #[path = "dmabuf.rs"]
@@ -181,6 +182,7 @@ fn spawn_mjpeg_decode_workers(
     frame_mailbox: &Arc<VideoFrameMailbox>,
     buffer_pool: &Arc<FrameBufferPool>,
     resolution: Resolution,
+    admission_policy: MjpegAdmissionPolicy,
 ) -> Vec<SyncSender<MjpegDecodeJob>> {
     let available = std::thread::available_parallelism()
         .map(|count| count.get())
@@ -206,10 +208,11 @@ fn spawn_mjpeg_decode_workers(
                         worker_buffer_pool.put(job.data);
                         break;
                     }
-                    if worker_frame_mailbox.has_pending() {
-                        worker_pipeline
-                            .mjpeg_dropped_before_decode
-                            .fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                    if worker_pipeline.drop_pending_mjpeg(
+                        &worker_frame_mailbox,
+                        admission_policy,
+                        MjpegAdmissionStage::Decode,
+                    ) {
                         worker_buffer_pool.put(job.data);
                         continue;
                     }
@@ -488,10 +491,47 @@ fn log_encoding_error(
     }
 }
 
+fn latency_percentile_ms(sorted_time_ns: &[u64], percentile: usize) -> f64 {
+    if sorted_time_ns.is_empty() {
+        return 0.0;
+    }
+    let index = (sorted_time_ns.len() * percentile.clamp(1, 100)).div_ceil(100) - 1;
+    sorted_time_ns[index] as f64 / 1_000_000.0
+}
+
+fn log_encoder_input_performance(
+    stats: hwcodec::ffmpeg_ram::encode::EncodeInputStats,
+    previous: &mut hwcodec::ffmpeg_ram::encode::EncodeInputStats,
+) {
+    let delta = |current: u64, before: u64| current.saturating_sub(before);
+    let inputs = delta(stats.input_frames, previous.input_frames);
+    let average_ms = |current: u64, before: u64| {
+        if inputs == 0 {
+            0.0
+        } else {
+            delta(current, before) as f64 / inputs as f64 / 1000.0
+        }
+    };
+    info!(
+        "[VideoInputPerf] inputs={} borrowed={} copied={} copied_bytes={} prepare_ms={:.3} send_frame_ms={:.3} receive_packet_ms={:.3} packet_callback_ms={:.3} output_copy_ms={:.3}",
+        inputs,
+        delta(stats.borrowed_frames, previous.borrowed_frames),
+        delta(stats.copied_frames, previous.copied_frames),
+        delta(stats.copied_bytes, previous.copied_bytes),
+        average_ms(stats.prepare_us, previous.prepare_us),
+        average_ms(stats.send_us, previous.send_us),
+        average_ms(stats.receive_us, previous.receive_us),
+        average_ms(stats.packet_us, previous.packet_us),
+        average_ms(stats.output_copy_us, previous.output_copy_us),
+    );
+    *previous = stats;
+}
+
 fn log_pipeline_performance(
     stats: &SharedVideoPipelineStats,
     previous: &SharedVideoPipelineStats,
     elapsed: f64,
+    sorted_encode_time_ns: &[u64],
 ) {
     let delta = |current: u64, previous: u64| current.saturating_sub(previous);
     let decoded = delta(stats.mjpeg_decoded_frames, previous.mjpeg_decoded_frames);
@@ -522,6 +562,21 @@ fn log_pipeline_performance(
         delta(stats.encoded_frames_skipped_for_slow_subscribers, previous.encoded_frames_skipped_for_slow_subscribers),
         send_errors,
     );
+    info!(
+        "[VideoQueuePerf] window_s={:.2} input_fps={:.2} frame_wait_ms={:.2} output_wait_ms={:.2} timed_inputs={} encode_p95_ms={:.2} encode_p99_ms={:.2} drop_pending_capture={} drop_pending_decode={} drop_backpressure_capture={} drop_backpressure_decode={} drop_workers_busy={}",
+        elapsed,
+        encoded_inputs as f64 / elapsed,
+        average_ms(delta(stats.encoder_frame_wait_ns, previous.encoder_frame_wait_ns), encoded_inputs),
+        average_ms(delta(stats.encoder_output_wait_ns, previous.encoder_output_wait_ns), encoded_inputs),
+        sorted_encode_time_ns.len(),
+        latency_percentile_ms(sorted_encode_time_ns, 95),
+        latency_percentile_ms(sorted_encode_time_ns, 99),
+        delta(stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture, previous.mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture),
+        delta(stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode, previous.mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode),
+        delta(stats.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture, previous.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture),
+        delta(stats.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode, previous.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode),
+        delta(stats.mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy, previous.mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy),
+    );
 }
 
 /// Pipeline statistics
@@ -530,12 +585,19 @@ pub struct SharedVideoPipelineStats {
     pub current_fps: f32,
     pub mjpeg_decoded_frames: u64,
     pub mjpeg_dropped_before_decode: u64,
+    pub mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture: u64,
+    pub mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode: u64,
+    pub mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture: u64,
+    pub mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode: u64,
+    pub mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy: u64,
     pub decoded_frames_not_encoded: u64,
     pub mjpeg_decode_time_ns: u64,
     pub encoded_input_frames: u64,
     pub encoded_frames: u64,
     pub encoded_bytes: u64,
     pub encode_time_ns: u64,
+    pub encoder_frame_wait_ns: u64,
+    pub encoder_output_wait_ns: u64,
     pub output_backpressure_events: u64,
     pub encoded_frames_skipped_for_slow_subscribers: u64,
     pub sent_frames: u64,
@@ -560,12 +622,19 @@ pub struct SharedVideoPipeline {
     frame_mailbox: FrameMailboxHandle,
     mjpeg_decoded_frames: AtomicU64,
     mjpeg_dropped_before_decode: AtomicU64,
+    mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture: AtomicU64,
+    mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode: AtomicU64,
+    mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture: AtomicU64,
+    mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode: AtomicU64,
+    mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy: AtomicU64,
     decoded_frames_not_encoded: AtomicU64,
     mjpeg_decode_time_ns: AtomicU64,
     encoded_input_frames: AtomicU64,
     encoded_frames: AtomicU64,
     encoded_bytes: AtomicU64,
     encode_time_ns: AtomicU64,
+    encoder_frame_wait_ns: AtomicU64,
+    encoder_output_wait_ns: AtomicU64,
     output_backpressure_events: AtomicU64,
     output_backpressured: AtomicBool,
     encoded_frames_skipped_for_slow_subscribers: AtomicU64,
@@ -620,12 +689,19 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
             frame_mailbox: Arc::new(ParkingMutex::new(None)),
             mjpeg_decoded_frames: AtomicU64::new(0),
             mjpeg_dropped_before_decode: AtomicU64::new(0),
+            mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture: AtomicU64::new(0),
+            mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode: AtomicU64::new(0),
+            mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture: AtomicU64::new(0),
+            mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode: AtomicU64::new(0),
+            mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy: AtomicU64::new(0),
             decoded_frames_not_encoded: AtomicU64::new(0),
             mjpeg_decode_time_ns: AtomicU64::new(0),
             encoded_input_frames: AtomicU64::new(0),
             encoded_frames: AtomicU64::new(0),
             encoded_bytes: AtomicU64::new(0),
             encode_time_ns: AtomicU64::new(0),
+            encoder_frame_wait_ns: AtomicU64::new(0),
+            encoder_output_wait_ns: AtomicU64::new(0),
             output_backpressure_events: AtomicU64::new(0),
             output_backpressured: AtomicBool::new(false),
             encoded_frames_skipped_for_slow_subscribers: AtomicU64::new(0),
@@ -786,12 +862,25 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
         stats.mjpeg_decoded_frames = self.mjpeg_decoded_frames.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
         stats.mjpeg_dropped_before_decode =
             self.mjpeg_dropped_before_decode.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture =
+            self.mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode =
+            self.mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        stats.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture = self
+            .mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture
+            .load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        stats.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode = self
+            .mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode
+            .load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        stats.mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy = self.mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
         stats.decoded_frames_not_encoded = self.decoded_frames_not_encoded.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
         stats.mjpeg_decode_time_ns = self.mjpeg_decode_time_ns.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
         stats.encoded_input_frames = self.encoded_input_frames.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
         stats.encoded_frames = self.encoded_frames.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
         stats.encoded_bytes = self.encoded_bytes.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
         stats.encode_time_ns = self.encode_time_ns.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        stats.encoder_frame_wait_ns = self.encoder_frame_wait_ns.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
+        stats.encoder_output_wait_ns = self.encoder_output_wait_ns.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
         stats.output_backpressure_events = self.output_backpressure_events.load(Ordering::Relaxed);
         stats.encoded_frames_skipped_for_slow_subscribers = self
             .encoded_frames_skipped_for_slow_subscribers
@@ -802,6 +891,37 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
         stats
     }
 
+    fn record_mjpeg_drop(&self, reason: MjpegDropReason) {
+        let counter = match reason {
+            MjpegDropReason::PendingCapture => &self.mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture,
+            MjpegDropReason::PendingDecode => &self.mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode,
+            MjpegDropReason::BackpressureCapture => &self.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture,
+            MjpegDropReason::BackpressureDecode => &self.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode,
+            MjpegDropReason::WorkersBusy => &self.mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy,
+        };
+        counter.fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.mjpeg_dropped_before_decode
+            .fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+    }
+
+    fn drop_pending_mjpeg(
+        &self,
+        mailbox: &VideoFrameMailbox,
+        policy: MjpegAdmissionPolicy,
+        stage: MjpegAdmissionStage,
+    ) -> bool {
+        let backpressured = self.output_backpressured.load(Ordering::Acquire);
+        if !policy.check_pending(backpressured) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        if let Some(reason) = policy.drop_reason(mailbox.has_pending(), backpressured, stage) {
+            self.record_mjpeg_drop(reason);
+            true
+        } else {
+            false
+        }
+    }
+
     /// Check if running
     pub fn is_running(&self) -> bool {
         *self.running_rx.borrow()
@@ -1150,21 +1270,36 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
         }
 
         let mut encoder_config = config.clone();
+        let admission_policy = MjpegAdmissionPolicy::from_prefetch_setting(
+            std::env::var("ONE_KVM_MJPEG_PREFETCH").ok().as_deref(),
+        );
         if parallel_mjpeg_decode {
             encoder_config.input_format = PixelFormat::Nv12;
             info!("Using parallel libyuv MJPEG decode with hardware encoding");
+            info!("MJPEG admission policy: {:?}", admission_policy);
         }
         let mut encoder_state = build_encoder_state(&encoder_config)?;
         let frame_mailbox = Arc::new(VideoFrameMailbox::new());
         *self.frame_mailbox.lock() = Some(frame_mailbox.clone());
         self.mjpeg_decoded_frames.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.mjpeg_dropped_before_decode.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture
+            .store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode
+            .store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture
+            .store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode
+            .store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.decoded_frames_not_encoded.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.mjpeg_decode_time_ns.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.encoded_input_frames.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.encoded_frames.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.encoded_bytes.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.encode_time_ns.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.encoder_frame_wait_ns.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        self.encoder_output_wait_ns.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.output_backpressure_events.store(0, Ordering::Relaxed);
         self.output_backpressured.store(false, Ordering::Release);
         self.encoded_frames_skipped_for_slow_subscribers
@@ -1202,12 +1337,14 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
                 let perf_logging = std::env::var("ONE_KVM_VIDEO_STATS").as_deref() == Ok("1");
                 let mut last_perf_time = Instant::now();
                 let mut last_perf_stats = pipeline.stats_snapshot();
+                let mut last_input_stats = Default::default();
+                let mut encode_latencies = Vec::with_capacity(if perf_logging { 256 } else { 0 });
                 let encode_error_throttler = LogThrottler::with_secs(ENCODE_ERROR_THROTTLE_SECS);
                 let mut suppressed_encode_errors: HashMap<String, u64> = HashMap::new();
 
                 while pipeline.running_flag.load(Ordering::Acquire) {
-                    let Some((frame, reservations)) =
-                        frame_mailbox.receive_when(|| pipeline.reserve_outputs())
+                    let Some((frame, reservations, waits)) = frame_mailbox
+                        .receive_when_timed(|| pipeline.reserve_outputs(), perf_logging)
                     else {
                         break;
                     };
@@ -1223,6 +1360,14 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
                         }
                         continue;
                     }
+                    if perf_logging {
+                        pipeline
+                            .encoder_frame_wait_ns
+                            .fetch_add(waits.frame.as_nanos() as u64, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                        pipeline
+                            .encoder_output_wait_ns
+                            .fetch_add(waits.output.as_nanos() as u64, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                    }
 
                     while let Ok(cmd) = cmd_rx.try_recv() {
                         if let Err(e) = pipeline.apply_cmd(&mut encoder_state, cmd) {
@@ -1236,10 +1381,13 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
                         .fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
                     let encode_started = Instant::now();
                     let encode_result = pipeline.encode_frame_sync(&mut encoder_state, &frame);
-                    pipeline.encode_time_ns.fetch_add(
-                        encode_started.elapsed().as_nanos() as u64,
-                        Ordering::Relaxed,
-                    );
+                    let encode_elapsed_ns = encode_started.elapsed().as_nanos() as u64;
+                    pipeline
+                        .encode_time_ns
+                        .fetch_add(encode_elapsed_ns, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                    if perf_logging {
+                        encode_latencies.push(encode_elapsed_ns);
+                    }
 
                     match encode_result {
                         Ok(encoded_frames) => {
@@ -1282,7 +1430,21 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
                     if perf_logging && last_perf_time.elapsed() >= Duration::from_secs(5) {
                         let elapsed = last_perf_time.elapsed().as_secs_f64();
                         let stats = pipeline.stats_snapshot();
-                        log_pipeline_performance(&stats, &last_perf_stats, elapsed);
+                        encode_latencies.sort_unstable();
+                        log_pipeline_performance(
+                            &stats,
+                            &last_perf_stats,
+                            elapsed,
+                            &encode_latencies,
+                        );
+                        if let Some(stats) = encoder_state
+                            .encoder
+                            .as_ref()
+                            .and_then(|encoder| encoder.input_stats())
+                        {
+                            log_encoder_input_performance(stats, &mut last_input_stats);
+                        }
+                        encode_latencies.clear();
                         last_perf_stats = stats;
                         last_perf_time = Instant::now();
                     }
@@ -1324,6 +1486,7 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
                             &frame_mailbox,
                             &buffer_pool,
                             config.resolution,
+                            admission_policy,
                         )
                     })
                     .filter(|senders| !senders.is_empty());
@@ -1676,11 +1839,12 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
 
                     if parallel_mjpeg_decode
                         && pixel_format == PixelFormat::Mjpeg
-                        && frame_mailbox.has_pending()
+                        && pipeline.drop_pending_mjpeg(
+                            &frame_mailbox,
+                            admission_policy,
+                            MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture,
+                        )
                     {
-                        pipeline
-                            .mjpeg_dropped_before_decode
-                            .fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
                         buffer_pool.put(owned);
                         continue;
                     }
@@ -1712,9 +1876,7 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
                             }
                         }
                         if let Some(job) = pending {
-                            pipeline
-                                .mjpeg_dropped_before_decode
-                                .fetch_add(1, Ordering::Relaxed);
+                            pipeline.record_mjpeg_drop(MjpegDropReason::WorkersBusy);
                             buffer_pool.put(job.data);
                         }
                         continue;
@@ -1895,7 +2057,15 @@ impl SharedVideoPipeline {
             encoder.encode_raw(nv12_data, pts_ms)
         } else {
             // Direct input (already in correct format)
-            encoder.encode_raw(raw_frame, pts_ms)
+            if decoded_buf.is_none()
+                && compacted_buf.is_none()
+                && frame.format == PixelFormat::Nv12
+                && encoder.supports_owned_nv12_input()
+            {
+                encoder.encode_owned_nv12(frame.owned_data_bytes(), pts_ms)
+            } else {
+                encoder.encode_raw(raw_frame, pts_ms)
+            }
         };
 
         match encode_result {
@@ -2368,6 +2538,105 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(stats.decoded_frames_not_encoded, 5);
     }
 
+    #[test]
+    fn mjpeg_drop_reasons_sum_to_total_without_double_counting() {
+        let pipeline = delivery_test_pipeline();
+        for reason in [
+            MjpegDropReason::PendingCapture,
+            MjpegDropReason::PendingDecode,
+            MjpegDropReason::BackpressureCapture,
+            MjpegDropReason::BackpressureDecode,
+            MjpegDropReason::WorkersBusy,
+        ] {
+            pipeline.record_mjpeg_drop(reason);
+        }
+        pipeline.encoder_frame_wait_ns.store(123, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        pipeline
+            .encoder_output_wait_ns
+            .store(456, Ordering::Relaxed);
+        let stats = pipeline.stats_snapshot();
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_before_decode, 5);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture, 1);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode, 1);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture, 1);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode, 1);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_workers_busy, 1);
+        assert_eq!(stats.encoder_frame_wait_ns, 123);
+        assert_eq!(stats.encoder_output_wait_ns, 456);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bounded_prefetch_accepts_pending_frame_when_output_is_healthy() {
+        let pipeline = delivery_test_pipeline();
+        let mailbox = VideoFrameMailbox::new();
+        mailbox.publish(1, delivery_test_raw_frame(1));
+        for stage in [MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture, MjpegAdmissionStage::Decode] {
+            assert!(!pipeline.drop_pending_mjpeg(
+                &mailbox,
+                MjpegAdmissionPolicy::BoundedPrefetch,
+                stage,
+            ));
+            assert!(pipeline.drop_pending_mjpeg(
+                &mailbox,
+                MjpegAdmissionPolicy::PendingSlot,
+                stage,
+            ));
+        }
+        assert!(mailbox.has_pending());
+        let stats = pipeline.stats_snapshot();
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_before_decode, 2);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture, 1);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode, 1);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn bounded_prefetch_drops_only_with_pending_frame_and_output_backpressure() {
+        let pipeline = delivery_test_pipeline();
+        let mailbox = VideoFrameMailbox::new();
+        let mut receiver = pipeline.subscribe();
+        let reservations = pipeline.reserve_outputs().unwrap();
+        pipeline.broadcast_encoded_batch(vec![delivery_test_frame(1, true)].into(), reservations);
+        assert!(pipeline.reserve_outputs().is_none());
+        for stage in [MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture, MjpegAdmissionStage::Decode] {
+            assert!(!pipeline.drop_pending_mjpeg(
+                &mailbox,
+                MjpegAdmissionPolicy::BoundedPrefetch,
+                stage,
+            ));
+        }
+        mailbox.publish(1, delivery_test_raw_frame(1));
+        for stage in [MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture, MjpegAdmissionStage::Decode] {
+            assert!(pipeline.drop_pending_mjpeg(
+                &mailbox,
+                MjpegAdmissionPolicy::BoundedPrefetch,
+                stage,
+            ));
+        }
+        assert_eq!(receiver.try_recv().unwrap().sequence, 1);
+        let _reservations = pipeline.reserve_outputs().unwrap();
+        assert!(!pipeline.drop_pending_mjpeg(
+            &mailbox,
+            MjpegAdmissionPolicy::BoundedPrefetch,
+            MjpegAdmissionStage::Capture,
+        ));
+        assert!(mailbox.has_pending());
+        let stats = pipeline.stats_snapshot();
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_before_decode, 2);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_capture, 1);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_backpressure_decode, 1);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_capture, 0);
+        assert_eq!(stats.mjpeg_dropped_pending_decode, 0);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn encoding_percentiles_use_nearest_rank_and_handle_empty_windows() {
+        assert_eq!(latency_percentile_ms(&[], 95), 0.0);
+        assert_eq!(latency_percentile_ms(&[3_000_000], 99), 3.0);
+        let sorted: Vec<u64> = (1..=100).map(|millis| millis * 1_000_000).collect();
+        assert_eq!(latency_percentile_ms(&sorted, 95), 95.0);
+        assert_eq!(latency_percentile_ms(&sorted, 99), 99.0);
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn encoder_packet_pts_is_preserved() {
         use super::super::encoder_state::{EncodedFrame, VideoEncoderTrait};