diff --git a/docs/source/streaming_video_encoding.mdx b/docs/source/streaming_video_encoding.mdx
index 9867ab559..ec5feefd7 100644
--- a/docs/source/streaming_video_encoding.mdx
+++ b/docs/source/streaming_video_encoding.mdx
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ This makes `save_episode()` near-instant (the video is already encoded by the ti
 | `streaming_encoding`    | `--dataset.streaming_encoding`           | `bool`        | `True`        | Enable real-time encoding during capture                          |
 | `vcodec`                | `--dataset.camera_encoder_config.vcodec` | `str`         | `"libsvtav1"` | Video codec. `"auto"` detects best HW encoder                     |
 | `encoder_threads`       | `--dataset.encoder_threads`              | `int \| None` | `None` (auto) | Threads per encoder instance. `None` will leave the vcoded decide |
-| `encoder_queue_maxsize` | `--dataset.encoder_queue_maxsize`        | `int`         | `60`          | Max buffered frames per camera (~2s at 30fps). Consumes RAM       |
+| `encoder_queue_maxsize` | `--dataset.encoder_queue_maxsize`        | `int`         | `30`          | Max buffered frames per camera (~2s at 30fps). Consumes RAM       |
 
 ## 3. Performance Considerations
 
diff --git a/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_metadata.py b/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_metadata.py
index 57b967ac5..bbc8f6f89 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_metadata.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_metadata.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import pyarrow as pa
 import pyarrow.parquet as pq
 from huggingface_hub import snapshot_download
 
+from lerobot.configs import VideoEncoderConfig
 from lerobot.utils.constants import DEFAULT_FEATURES, HF_LEROBOT_HOME, HF_LEROBOT_HUB_CACHE
 from lerobot.utils.feature_utils import _validate_feature_names
 from lerobot.utils.utils import flatten_dict
@@ -48,7 +49,7 @@ from .utils import (
     is_valid_version,
     update_chunk_file_indices,
 )
-from .video_utils import VideoEncoderConfig, get_video_info
+from .video_utils import get_video_info
 
 CODEBASE_VERSION = "v3.0"
 
diff --git a/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_tools.py b/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_tools.py
index 9aa810b3f..63ba47df7 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_tools.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_tools.py
@@ -36,6 +36,7 @@ import pyarrow.parquet as pq
 import torch
 from tqdm import tqdm
 
+from lerobot.configs import VideoEncoderConfig, camera_encoder_defaults
 from lerobot.utils.constants import ACTION, HF_LEROBOT_HOME, OBS_IMAGE, OBS_STATE
 from lerobot.utils.utils import flatten_dict
 
@@ -63,8 +64,6 @@ from .utils import (
     update_chunk_file_indices,
 )
 from .video_utils import (
-    VideoEncoderConfig,
-    camera_encoder_defaults,
     encode_video_frames,
     get_video_info,
 )
@@ -107,7 +106,7 @@ def delete_episodes(
         output_dir: Root directory where the edited dataset will be stored. If not specified, defaults to $HF_LEROBOT_HOME/repo_id. Equivalent to new_root in EditDatasetConfig.
         repo_id: Edited dataset identifier. Equivalent to new_repo_id in EditDatasetConfig.
         camera_encoder_config: Video encoder settings used when re-encoding video segments
-            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.datasets.video_utils.camera_encoder_defaults`).
+            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.configs.camera_encoder_defaults`).
     """
     if not episode_indices:
         raise ValueError("No episodes to delete")
@@ -172,7 +171,7 @@ def split_dataset(
                 split names to fractions (must sum to <= 1.0).
         output_dir: Root directory where the split datasets will be stored. If not specified, defaults to $HF_LEROBOT_HOME/repo_id.
         camera_encoder_config: Video encoder settings used when re-encoding video segments
-            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.datasets.video_utils.camera_encoder_defaults`).
+            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.configs.camera_encoder_defaults`).
 
     Examples:
       Split by specific episodes
@@ -606,7 +605,7 @@ def _keep_episodes_from_video_with_av(
             is inclusive and end_frame is exclusive.
         fps: Frame rate of the video.
         camera_encoder_config: Video encoder settings
-            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.datasets.video_utils.camera_encoder_defaults`).
+            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.configs.camera_encoder_defaults`).
     """
     if camera_encoder_config is None:
         camera_encoder_config = camera_encoder_defaults()
@@ -714,7 +713,7 @@ def _copy_and_reindex_videos(
         dst_meta: Destination metadata object
         episode_mapping: Mapping from old episode indices to new indices
         camera_encoder_config: Video encoder settings used when re-encoding segments
-            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.datasets.video_utils.camera_encoder_defaults`).
+            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.configs.camera_encoder_defaults`).
 
     Returns:
         dict mapping episode index to its video metadata (chunk_index, file_index, timestamps)
@@ -1664,7 +1663,7 @@ def convert_image_to_video_dataset(
         output_dir: Root directory where the edited dataset will be stored. If not specified, defaults to $HF_LEROBOT_HOME/repo_id. Equivalent to new_root in EditDatasetConfig.
         repo_id: Edited dataset identifier. Equivalent to new_repo_id in EditDatasetConfig.
         camera_encoder_config: Video encoder settings
-            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.datasets.video_utils.camera_encoder_defaults`).
+            (``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.configs.camera_encoder_defaults`).
         episode_indices: List of episode indices to convert (None = all episodes)
         num_workers: Number of threads for parallel processing (default: 4)
         max_episodes_per_batch: Maximum episodes per video batch to avoid memory issues (None = no limit)
diff --git a/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_writer.py b/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_writer.py
index da646d785..76b740d73 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_writer.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/datasets/dataset_writer.py
@@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ import PIL.Image
 import pyarrow.parquet as pq
 import torch
 
+from lerobot.configs import VideoEncoderConfig, camera_encoder_defaults
+
 from .compute_stats import compute_episode_stats
 from .dataset_metadata import LeRobotDatasetMetadata
 from .feature_utils import (
@@ -52,8 +54,6 @@ from .utils import (
 )
 from .video_utils import (
     StreamingVideoEncoder,
-    VideoEncoderConfig,
-    camera_encoder_defaults,
     concatenate_video_files,
     encode_video_frames,
     get_video_duration_in_s,
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ class DatasetWriter:
                 settings, and episode persistence).
             root: Local dataset root directory.
             camera_encoder_config: Video encoder settings applied to all cameras.
-                ``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.datasets.video_utils.camera_encoder_defaults`.
+                ``None`` uses :func:`~lerobot.configs.camera_encoder_defaults`.
             encoder_threads: Number of encoder threads (global). ``None``
                 lets the codec decide.
             batch_encoding_size: Number of episodes to accumulate before
diff --git a/src/lerobot/datasets/feature_utils.py b/src/lerobot/datasets/feature_utils.py
index ce9208134..d5a550a4c 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/datasets/feature_utils.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/datasets/feature_utils.py
@@ -140,7 +140,6 @@ def features_equal_for_merge(features_a: dict[str, dict], features_b: dict[str,
             continue
 
         if _without_encoder_info_keys(fa_key) != _without_encoder_info_keys(fb_key):
-            raise ValueError(f"Features {fa_key} and {fb_key} are not equal")
             return False
     return True
 
diff --git a/src/lerobot/datasets/lerobot_dataset.py b/src/lerobot/datasets/lerobot_dataset.py
index 44d0c358d..d86bd3327 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/datasets/lerobot_dataset.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/datasets/lerobot_dataset.py
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import torch.utils
 from huggingface_hub import HfApi, snapshot_download
 from huggingface_hub.errors import RevisionNotFoundError
 
+from lerobot.configs import VideoEncoderConfig
 from lerobot.utils.constants import HF_LEROBOT_HUB_CACHE
 
 from .dataset_metadata import CODEBASE_VERSION, LeRobotDatasetMetadata
@@ -36,7 +37,6 @@ from .utils import (
 )
 from .video_utils import (
     StreamingVideoEncoder,
-    VideoEncoderConfig,
     get_safe_default_video_backend,
 )
 
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@ class LeRobotDataset(torch.utils.data.Dataset):
             batch_encoding_size (int, optional): Number of episodes to accumulate before batch encoding videos.
                 Set to 1 for immediate encoding (default), or higher for batched encoding. Defaults to 1.
             camera_encoder_config (VideoEncoderConfig | None, optional): Video encoder settings for cameras
-                (codec, quality, etc.). When ``None``, :func:`~lerobot.datasets.video_utils.camera_encoder_defaults`
+                (codec, quality, etc.). When ``None``, :func:`~lerobot.configs.video.camera_encoder_defaults`
                 is used by the writer.
             encoder_threads (int | None, optional): Number of encoder threads (global). ``None`` lets the
                 codec decide.
@@ -654,7 +654,7 @@ class LeRobotDataset(torch.utils.data.Dataset):
             batch_encoding_size: Number of episodes to accumulate before
                 batch-encoding videos. ``1`` means encode immediately.
             camera_encoder_config: Video encoder settings for cameras (codec, quality, etc.).
-                When ``None``, :func:`~lerobot.datasets.video_utils.camera_encoder_defaults` is used.
+                When ``None``, :func:`~lerobot.configs.video.camera_encoder_defaults` is used.
             encoder_threads: Number of encoder threads (global). ``None``
                 lets the codec decide.
             metadata_buffer_size: Number of episode metadata records to buffer
@@ -755,7 +755,7 @@ class LeRobotDataset(torch.utils.data.Dataset):
             batch_encoding_size: Number of episodes to accumulate before
                 batch-encoding videos.
             camera_encoder_config: Video encoder settings for cameras (codec, quality, etc.).
-                When ``None``, :func:`~lerobot.datasets.video_utils.camera_encoder_defaults` is used.
+                When ``None``, :func:`~lerobot.configs.video.camera_encoder_defaults` is used.
             encoder_threads: Number of encoder threads (global). ``None``
                 lets the codec decide.
             image_writer_processes: Subprocesses for async image writing.
diff --git a/src/lerobot/datasets/pyav_utils.py b/src/lerobot/datasets/pyav_utils.py
index 7adeb8c1a..ad2702674 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/datasets/pyav_utils.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/datasets/pyav_utils.py
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ from typing import Any
 
 import av
 
-from lerobot.configs.video import VideoEncoderConfig
+from lerobot.configs import VideoEncoderConfig
 
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
diff --git a/src/lerobot/datasets/video_utils.py b/src/lerobot/datasets/video_utils.py
index 345eac436..3aca1d085 100644
--- a/src/lerobot/datasets/video_utils.py
+++ b/src/lerobot/datasets/video_utils.py
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@ import torch
 from datasets.features.features import register_feature
 from PIL import Image
 
-from lerobot.configs.video import (
+from lerobot.configs import (
     VideoEncoderConfig,
     camera_encoder_defaults,
 )
@@ -905,7 +905,7 @@ def get_audio_info(video_path: Path | str) -> dict:
 
 def get_video_info(
     video_path: Path | str,
-    camera_encoder_config: "VideoEncoderConfig | None" = None,
+    camera_encoder_config: VideoEncoderConfig | None = None,
 ) -> dict:
     """Build the ``video.*`` / ``audio.*`` info dict persisted in ``info.json``.
 
diff --git a/tests/datasets/test_dataset_tools.py b/tests/datasets/test_dataset_tools.py
index abb380956..2e528a3c8 100644
--- a/tests/datasets/test_dataset_tools.py
+++ b/tests/datasets/test_dataset_tools.py
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ import torch
 
 pytest.importorskip("datasets", reason="datasets is required (install lerobot[dataset])")
 
+from lerobot.configs import VideoEncoderConfig
 from lerobot.datasets.dataset_tools import (
     add_features,
     convert_image_to_video_dataset,
@@ -33,7 +34,6 @@ from lerobot.datasets.dataset_tools import (
     remove_feature,
     split_dataset,
 )
-from lerobot.datasets.video_utils import VideoEncoderConfig
 
 
 @pytest.fixture
diff --git a/tests/datasets/test_dataset_writer.py b/tests/datasets/test_dataset_writer.py
index 35dc605bb..773a2ec05 100644
--- a/tests/datasets/test_dataset_writer.py
+++ b/tests/datasets/test_dataset_writer.py
@@ -25,10 +25,10 @@ from PIL import Image
 
 pytest.importorskip("datasets", reason="datasets is required (install lerobot[dataset])")
 
+from lerobot.configs import VideoEncoderConfig
 from lerobot.datasets.dataset_writer import _encode_video_worker
 from lerobot.datasets.lerobot_dataset import LeRobotDataset
 from lerobot.datasets.utils import DEFAULT_IMAGE_PATH
-from lerobot.datasets.video_utils import VideoEncoderConfig
 from tests.fixtures.constants import DEFAULT_FPS, DUMMY_REPO_ID
 
 SIMPLE_FEATURES = {
diff --git a/tests/datasets/test_datasets.py b/tests/datasets/test_datasets.py
index 36aa3f6f3..f81736589 100644
--- a/tests/datasets/test_datasets.py
+++ b/tests/datasets/test_datasets.py
@@ -29,9 +29,9 @@ from PIL import Image
 from safetensors.torch import load_file
 from torchvision.transforms import v2
 
+from lerobot.configs import VALID_VIDEO_CODECS, VideoEncoderConfig
 from lerobot.configs.default import DatasetConfig
 from lerobot.configs.train import TrainPipelineConfig
-from lerobot.configs.video import VALID_VIDEO_CODECS, VideoEncoderConfig
 from lerobot.datasets import make_dataset
 from lerobot.datasets.feature_utils import get_hf_features_from_features
 from lerobot.datasets.image_writer import image_array_to_pil_image
diff --git a/tests/datasets/test_streaming_video_encoder.py b/tests/datasets/test_streaming_video_encoder.py
index 6af7ab781..a2f1e25e8 100644
--- a/tests/datasets/test_streaming_video_encoder.py
+++ b/tests/datasets/test_streaming_video_encoder.py
@@ -26,10 +26,10 @@ pytest.importorskip("av", reason="av is required (install lerobot[dataset])")
 
 import av  # noqa: E402
 
+from lerobot.configs import VideoEncoderConfig
 from lerobot.datasets.pyav_utils import get_codec
 from lerobot.datasets.video_utils import (
     StreamingVideoEncoder,
-    VideoEncoderConfig,
     _CameraEncoderThread,
 )
 from lerobot.utils.constants import OBS_IMAGES
diff --git a/tests/datasets/test_video_encoding.py b/tests/datasets/test_video_encoding.py
index 3ac4269fc..f5508bad2 100644
--- a/tests/datasets/test_video_encoding.py
+++ b/tests/datasets/test_video_encoding.py
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ pytest.importorskip("av", reason="av is required (install lerobot[dataset])")
 
 import av  # noqa: E402
 
-from lerobot.configs.video import VALID_VIDEO_CODECS, VideoEncoderConfig
+from lerobot.configs import VALID_VIDEO_CODECS, VideoEncoderConfig
 from lerobot.datasets.image_writer import write_image
 from lerobot.datasets.lerobot_dataset import LeRobotDataset
 from lerobot.datasets.pyav_utils import get_codec