Currently I find myself opening the Media Tool and having it display all media for the current project. I then alt-drag those clips to a 'Project Media' bin. Now I can sort/sift by timecode, clip name etc and deal with all my clips in one bin.

Request #1:

Have a virtual bin that does this for me (i.e. contains all available media and can be sifted/sorted)

Request #2

Have sub-clips/sequences available in it too

Request #3

Have that bin have a 'virtual timeline' - so I can just shuttle through the filtered media.

 The simple answer is that you should just make one bin in your project and keep all clips, subclips and sequences in it.

Unfortunately, that will certainly slow your system down and probably crash it, since the system needs to keep track of all media objects in open bins. You're experiencing much the same problem by keeping your media tool open all the time.

This "virtual bin": you imagine would need to do exactly the same thing, so I think you'd see the same problem as you do now.

The complicated answer is that Interplay does much of what you're asking for but you're probably working in a standalone situation.

I'm generally working in an ISIS/SN 1.8.x installation, rather than standalone and I don't keep the media tool open at all.

(I do know that if I use the media tool and subsequently get *any* error message then that is the time to shut the whole caboodle down and start her up again. Otherwise the "long tail" will mean that the system will crash/hang at some stage in the not too distant future. These seem to be related to using the media tool on workspaces that are protected from mediafiles with dummy files, but I digress...)

I don't think that it is too much to ask a system to keep track of the database of media objects within a project without having to open/close bins and without memory issues arising. Obviously there is some problem inherent to the current coding of MC that it has does have such problems.

The one bin for clips/subclips/sequences would not work currently as the sifting/filtering is too clunky to be of much use and the time taken to sort would make it unusable.

I do use Interplay occasionally, but mostly in edits where it is very easy to find the material I need anyway.  The Avid media management is its strong point, but I think they need to keep this available to the standalone / non-interplay user too