diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/ebml.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/ebml.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..ce84b2ec3672a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/ebml.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,149 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) Microsoft Corporation.
+ *
+ * Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+ * you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+ * You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ *
+ * http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ *
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+
+// Minimal EBML/Matroska writer used to wrap individual MJPEG frames with explicit
+// timestamps before piping them into ffmpeg (`-f matroska -i pipe:0`). This lets ffmpeg
+// derive frame timing from the stream instead of us repeating frames to fake a constant
+// frame rate. Only the subset of Matroska needed for a single live MJPEG track is emitted.
+//
+// References:
+//   https://www.matroska.org/technical/elements.html
+//   https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/html/rfc8794 (EBML)
+
+// Element IDs are written verbatim - the leading byte already encodes the length descriptor.
+const kEBML = Buffer.from('1A45DFA3', 'hex');
+const kEBMLVersion = Buffer.from('4286', 'hex');
+const kEBMLReadVersion = Buffer.from('42F7', 'hex');
+const kEBMLMaxIDLength = Buffer.from('42F2', 'hex');
+const kEBMLMaxSizeLength = Buffer.from('42F3', 'hex');
+const kDocType = Buffer.from('4282', 'hex');
+const kDocTypeVersion = Buffer.from('4287', 'hex');
+const kDocTypeReadVersion = Buffer.from('4285', 'hex');
+const kSegment = Buffer.from('18538067', 'hex');
+const kInfo = Buffer.from('1549A966', 'hex');
+const kTimestampScale = Buffer.from('2AD7B1', 'hex');
+const kMuxingApp = Buffer.from('4D80', 'hex');
+const kWritingApp = Buffer.from('5741', 'hex');
+const kTracks = Buffer.from('1654AE6B', 'hex');
+const kTrackEntry = Buffer.from('AE', 'hex');
+const kTrackNumber = Buffer.from('D7', 'hex');
+const kTrackUID = Buffer.from('73C5', 'hex');
+const kTrackType = Buffer.from('83', 'hex');
+const kFlagLacing = Buffer.from('9C', 'hex');
+const kCodecID = Buffer.from('86', 'hex');
+const kVideo = Buffer.from('E0', 'hex');
+const kPixelWidth = Buffer.from('B0', 'hex');
+const kPixelHeight = Buffer.from('BA', 'hex');
+const kCluster = Buffer.from('1F43B675', 'hex');
+const kTimestamp = Buffer.from('E7', 'hex');
+const kSimpleBlock = Buffer.from('A3', 'hex');
+
+// "Unknown size" for a streaming Segment: an 8-byte EBML vint with all data bits set.
+const kUnknownSize = Buffer.from([0x01, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff, 0xff]);
+
+// Encodes a value as an EBML variable-length size integer (vint): the leading bits select
+// the byte length and are followed by the big-endian value.
+function vint(value: number): Buffer {
+  let length = 1;
+  while (value >= 2 ** (7 * length) - 1)
+    ++length;
+  const buffer = Buffer.alloc(length);
+  let v = value;
+  for (let i = length - 1; i >= 0; --i) {
+    buffer[i] = v & 0xff;
+    v = Math.floor(v / 256);
+  }
+  buffer[0] |= 1 << (8 - length);
+  return buffer;
+}
+
+// Encodes a non-negative integer as a minimal big-endian byte sequence.
+function uint(value: number): Buffer {
+  if (value === 0)
+    return Buffer.from([0]);
+  const bytes: number[] = [];
+  let v = value;
+  while (v > 0) {
+    bytes.unshift(v & 0xff);
+    v = Math.floor(v / 256);
+  }
+  return Buffer.from(bytes);
+}
+
+// A complete EBML element: id + size-as-vint + payload.
+function element(id: Buffer, payload: Buffer): Buffer {
+  return Buffer.concat([id, vint(payload.length), payload]);
+}
+
+// Emits the Matroska header: EBML head, an unknown-size (streaming) Segment, stream Info with a
+// 1ms timestamp scale, and a single MJPEG video track. Frames follow as Clusters via writeClusterHeader.
+export function writeHeader(width: number, height: number): Buffer {
+  const ebml = element(kEBML, Buffer.concat([
+    element(kEBMLVersion, uint(1)),
+    element(kEBMLReadVersion, uint(1)),
+    element(kEBMLMaxIDLength, uint(4)),
+    element(kEBMLMaxSizeLength, uint(8)),
+    element(kDocType, Buffer.from('matroska')),
+    element(kDocTypeVersion, uint(4)),
+    element(kDocTypeReadVersion, uint(2)),
+  ]));
+  const info = element(kInfo, Buffer.concat([
+    // TimestampScale in nanoseconds per tick: 1_000_000 => timestamps are expressed in milliseconds.
+    element(kTimestampScale, uint(1000000)),
+    element(kMuxingApp, Buffer.from('playwright')),
+    element(kWritingApp, Buffer.from('playwright')),
+  ]));
+  const track = element(kTrackEntry, Buffer.concat([
+    element(kTrackNumber, uint(1)),
+    element(kTrackUID, uint(1)),
+    element(kTrackType, uint(1)), // 1 = video.
+    element(kFlagLacing, uint(0)),
+    element(kCodecID, Buffer.from('V_MJPEG')),
+    // PixelWidth/PixelHeight are advisory: ffmpeg's mjpeg decoder uses the dimensions encoded in
+    // each JPEG frame, and the output video filters normalize to the requested size.
+    element(kVideo, Buffer.concat([
+      element(kPixelWidth, uint(width)),
+      element(kPixelHeight, uint(height)),
+    ])),
+  ]));
+  const tracks = element(kTracks, track);
+  return Buffer.concat([ebml, kSegment, kUnknownSize, info, tracks]);
+}
+
+// Emits the bytes that precede a single MJPEG frame in its own Cluster, timestamped at the given
+// absolute millisecond offset. The frame itself is NOT copied here - the caller writes this header
+// followed by the raw frame buffer, so the (potentially large) JPEG is never duplicated. Each MJPEG
+// frame is intra-coded, so it is its own keyframe in its own Cluster (relative timecode 0), which
+// keeps timecodes within the SimpleBlock int16 range regardless of how long frames are apart.
+export function writeClusterHeader(timestampMs: number, frameLength: number): Buffer {
+  // SimpleBlock payload = track number vint (1 byte) + relative timecode (2 bytes) + flags (1 byte)
+  // + the frame, which the caller appends.
+  const simpleBlockHeader = Buffer.concat([
+    kSimpleBlock,
+    vint(4 + frameLength),
+    vint(1), // Track number (1).
+    Buffer.from([0x00, 0x00]), // Relative timecode (int16), always 0 within its own Cluster.
+    Buffer.from([0x80]), // Flags: keyframe.
+  ]);
+  const timestamp = element(kTimestamp, uint(timestampMs));
+  const clusterPayloadLength = timestamp.length + simpleBlockHeader.length + frameLength;
+  return Buffer.concat([
+    kCluster,
+    vint(clusterPayloadLength),
+    timestamp,
+    simpleBlockHeader,
+  ]);
+}
diff --git a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/videoRecorder.ts b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/videoRecorder.ts
index 4be4c100eb110..a7208f7e13af0 100644
--- a/packages/playwright-core/src/server/videoRecorder.ts
+++ b/packages/playwright-core/src/server/videoRecorder.ts
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import { debugLogger } from '@utils/debugLogger';
 import { mkdirIfNeeded } from '@utils/fileUtils';
 import { monotonicTime } from '@isomorphic/time';
 import { Artifact } from './artifact';
+import { writeClusterHeader, writeHeader } from './ebml';
 import { registry } from './registry';
 
 import type * as types from './types';
@@ -99,11 +100,9 @@ class FfmpegVideoRecorder {
   private _size: types.Size;
   private _process: ChildProcess | null = null;
   private _gracefullyClose: (() => Promise<void>) | null = null;
-  private _lastWritePromise: Promise<void> = Promise.resolve();
   private _firstFrameTimestamp: number = 0;
-  private _lastFrame: { timestamp: number, frameNumber: number, buffer: Buffer } | null = null;
+  private _lastFrame: { timestamp: number, frameNumber: number, timestampMs: number, buffer: Buffer } | null = null;
   private _lastWriteNodeTime: number = 0;
-  private _frameQueue: Buffer[] = [];
   private _isStopped = false;
   private _ffmpegPath: string;
   private _launchPromise: Promise<Error | null>;
@@ -147,21 +146,24 @@ class FfmpegVideoRecorder {
     //   https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#pad-1
     //   https://ffmpeg.org/ffmpeg-filters.html#crop
     //
-    // We use "image2pipe" mode to pipe frames and get a single video - https://trac.ffmpeg.org/wiki/Slideshow
-    //   "-f image2pipe -c:v mjpeg -i -" forces input to be read from standard input, and forces
-    //     mjpeg input image format.
-    //   "-avioflags direct" reduces general buffering.
+    // We wrap each incoming MJPEG frame into a minimal Matroska stream (see ./ebml.ts) with an
+    // explicit timestamp, and let ffmpeg read frame timing from that stream.
+    //   "-f matroska -i pipe:0" forces input to be read from standard input as Matroska.
     //   "-fpsprobesize 0 -probesize 32 -analyzeduration 0" reduces initial buffering
     //     while analyzing input fps and other stats.
+    //   Note: "-avioflags direct" must NOT be used here - it breaks Matroska header parsing
+    //     by disabling the input buffering the demuxer needs.
     //
     // "-y" means overwrite output.
     // "-an" means no audio.
+    // "-r 25" forces a constant output frame rate; ffmpeg duplicates frames as needed based on
+    //   the input timestamps, so we don't have to repeat frames ourselves.
     // "-threads 1" means using one thread. This drastically reduces stalling when
     //   cpu is overbooked. By default vp8 tries to use all available threads?
 
     const w = this._size.width;
     const h = this._size.height;
-    const args = `-loglevel error -f image2pipe -avioflags direct -fpsprobesize 0 -probesize 32 -analyzeduration 0 -c:v mjpeg -i pipe:0 -y -an -r ${fps} -c:v vp8 -qmin 0 -qmax 50 -crf 8 -deadline realtime -speed 8 -b:v 1M -threads 1 -vf pad=${w}:${h}:0:0:gray,crop=${w}:${h}:0:0`.split(' ');
+    const args = `-loglevel error -f matroska -fpsprobesize 0 -probesize 32 -analyzeduration 0 -i pipe:0 -y -an -r ${fps} -c:v vp8 -qmin 0 -qmax 50 -crf 8 -deadline realtime -speed 8 -b:v 1M -threads 1 -vf pad=${w}:${h}:0:0:gray,crop=${w}:${h}:0:0`.split(' ');
     args.push(this._outputFile);
 
     const { launchedProcess, gracefullyClose } = await launchProcess({
@@ -186,6 +188,7 @@ class FfmpegVideoRecorder {
     });
     this._process = launchedProcess;
     this._gracefullyClose = gracefullyClose;
+    launchedProcess.stdin!.write(writeHeader(w, h));
   }
 
   writeFrame(frame: Buffer, timestamp: number) {
@@ -203,30 +206,25 @@ class FfmpegVideoRecorder {
 
     if (!this._firstFrameTimestamp)
       this._firstFrameTimestamp = timestamp;
+    const timestampMs = Math.max(0, Math.round((timestamp - this._firstFrameTimestamp) * 1000));
 
-    const frameNumber = Math.floor((timestamp - this._firstFrameTimestamp) * fps);
+    // The output is constant frame rate, so multiple input frames that map to the same output
+    // slot would be redundant - ffmpeg only keeps one of them. We coalesce them on our side to
+    // avoid muxing and piping frames that ffmpeg would just discard, keeping the most recent
+    // frame for each slot. The pending frame is only emitted once the slot is complete (a frame
+    // belonging to a later slot arrives, or recording stops), so that fast bursts of frames
+    // within a single slot still surface the latest pixels rather than the first ones.
+    const frameNumber = Math.floor(timestampMs * fps / 1000);
+    if (this._lastFrame && frameNumber !== this._lastFrame.frameNumber)
+      this._emitFrame(this._lastFrame.buffer, this._lastFrame.timestampMs);
 
-    if (this._lastFrame) {
-      const repeatCount = frameNumber - this._lastFrame.frameNumber;
-      for (let i = 0; i < repeatCount; ++i)
-        this._frameQueue.push(this._lastFrame.buffer);
-      this._lastWritePromise = this._lastWritePromise.then(() => this._sendFrames());
-    }
-
-    this._lastFrame = { buffer: frame, timestamp, frameNumber };
+    this._lastFrame = { buffer: frame, timestamp, frameNumber, timestampMs };
     this._lastWriteNodeTime = monotonicTime();
   }
 
-  private async _sendFrames() {
-    while (this._frameQueue.length)
-      await this._sendFrame(this._frameQueue.shift()!);
-  }
-
-  private async _sendFrame(frame: Buffer) {
-    return new Promise(f => this._process!.stdin!.write(frame, f)).then(error => {
-      if (error)
-        debugLogger.log('browser', `ffmpeg failed to write: ${String(error)}`);
-    });
+  private _emitFrame(frame: Buffer, timestampMs: number) {
+    this._process!.stdin!.write(writeClusterHeader(timestampMs, frame.length));
+    this._process!.stdin!.write(frame);
   }
 
   async _stop() {
@@ -237,16 +235,17 @@ class FfmpegVideoRecorder {
     if (this._isStopped)
       return;
     if (!this._lastFrame) {
-      // ffmpeg only creates a file upon some non-empty input
-      this._writeFrame(createWhiteImage(this._size.width, this._size.height), monotonicTime());
+      // ffmpeg only creates a file upon some non-empty input.
+      this._writeFrame(createWhiteImage(this._size.width, this._size.height), monotonicTime() / 1000);
     }
-    // Pad with at least 1s of the last frame in the end for convenience.
-    // This also ensures non-empty videos with 1 frame.
+    // Emit the last received frame at its own slot, then repeat it at the end so it stays visible
+    // for at least 1s. This also ensures non-empty videos with 1 frame and gives the output stream
+    // a final timestamp.
+    this._emitFrame(this._lastFrame!.buffer, this._lastFrame!.timestampMs);
     const addTime = Math.max((monotonicTime() - this._lastWriteNodeTime) / 1000, 1);
-    this._writeFrame(Buffer.from([]), this._lastFrame!.timestamp + addTime);
+    this._emitFrame(this._lastFrame!.buffer, this._lastFrame!.timestampMs + Math.round(addTime * 1000));
     this._isStopped = true;
     try {
-      await this._lastWritePromise;
       await this._gracefullyClose!();
     } catch (e) {
       debugLogger.log('error', `ffmpeg failed to stop: ${String(e)}`);