diff --git a/sys/osxvideo/osxvideosink.h b/sys/osxvideo/osxvideosink.h
index cf0410f644..2517bb37f2 100644
--- a/sys/osxvideo/osxvideosink.h
+++ b/sys/osxvideo/osxvideosink.h
@@ -68,6 +68,12 @@ typedef struct _GstOSXVideoSinkClass GstOSXVideoSinkClass;
 
 #define GST_TYPE_OSXVIDEOBUFFER (gst_osxvideobuffer_get_type())
 
+typedef enum {
+  GST_OSX_VIDEO_SINK_RUN_LOOP_STATE_NOT_RUNNING = 0,
+  GST_OSX_VIDEO_SINK_RUN_LOOP_STATE_RUNNING = 1,
+  GST_OSX_VIDEO_SINK_RUN_LOOP_STATE_UNKNOWN = 2,
+} GstOSXVideoSinkRunLoopState;
+
 /* OSXWindow stuff */
 struct _GstOSXWindow {
   gint width, height;
@@ -83,24 +89,19 @@ struct _GstOSXVideoSink {
   GstOSXWindow *osxwindow;
   void *osxvideosinkobject;
   NSView *superview;
-  NSThread *ns_app_thread;
-#ifdef RUN_NS_APP_THREAD
-  GMutex loop_thread_lock;
-  GCond loop_thread_cond;
-#else
-  guint cocoa_timeout;
-#endif
-  GMutex mrl_check_lock;
-  GCond mrl_check_cond;
-  gboolean mrl_check_done;
-  gboolean main_run_loop_running;
-  gboolean app_started;
   gboolean keep_par;
   gboolean embed;
 };
 
 struct _GstOSXVideoSinkClass {
   GstVideoSinkClass parent_class;
+
+  GstOSXVideoSinkRunLoopState run_loop_state;
+#ifdef RUN_NS_APP_THREAD
+  NSThread *ns_app_thread;
+#else
+  guint cocoa_timeout;
+#endif
 };
 
 GType gst_osx_video_sink_get_type(void);
diff --git a/sys/osxvideo/osxvideosink.m b/sys/osxvideo/osxvideosink.m
index c75c681d9d..8c172e5383 100644
--- a/sys/osxvideo/osxvideosink.m
+++ b/sys/osxvideo/osxvideosink.m
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ extern  void _CFRunLoopSetCurrent(CFRunLoopRef rl);
 extern pthread_t _CFMainPThread;
 #endif
 
+
+
 static GstStaticPadTemplate gst_osx_video_sink_sink_template_factory =
 GST_STATIC_PAD_TEMPLATE ("sink",
     GST_PAD_SINK,
@@ -76,7 +78,10 @@ enum
 };
 
 static void gst_osx_video_sink_osxwindow_destroy (GstOSXVideoSink * osxvideosink);
-
+static GMutex _run_loop_check_mutex;
+static GMutex _run_loop_mutex;
+static GCond _run_loop_cond;
+static GstOSXVideoSinkClass *sink_class = NULL;
 static GstVideoSinkClass *parent_class = NULL;
 
 /* Helper to trigger calls from the main thread */
@@ -87,7 +92,7 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_call_from_main_thread(GstOSXVideoSink *osxvideosink,
 
   NSAutoreleasePool *pool = [[NSAutoreleasePool alloc] init];
 
-  [object performSelector:function onThread:osxvideosink->ns_app_thread
+  [object performSelector:function onThread:sink_class->ns_app_thread
           withObject:data waitUntilDone:waitUntilDone];
   [pool release];
 }
@@ -121,9 +126,6 @@ gst_osx_videosink_check_main_run_loop (GstOSXVideoSink *sink)
   /* check if the main run loop is running */
   gboolean is_running;
 
-  if (sink->mrl_check_done) {
-    return;
-  }
   /* the easy way */
   is_running = [[NSRunLoop mainRunLoop] currentMode] != nil;
   if (is_running) {
@@ -137,15 +139,15 @@ gst_osx_videosink_check_main_run_loop (GstOSXVideoSink *sink)
     GstOSXVideoSinkObject * object = (GstOSXVideoSinkObject *) sink->osxvideosinkobject;
     gint64 abstime;
 
-    g_mutex_lock (&sink->mrl_check_lock);
+    g_mutex_lock (&_run_loop_mutex);
     [object performSelectorOnMainThread:
           @selector(checkMainRunLoop)
           withObject:nil waitUntilDone:NO];
     /* Wait 100 ms */
     abstime = g_get_monotonic_time () + 100 * 1000;
-    is_running = g_cond_wait_until (&sink->mrl_check_cond,
-        &sink->mrl_check_lock, abstime);
-    g_mutex_unlock (&sink->mrl_check_lock);
+    is_running = g_cond_wait_until (&_run_loop_cond,
+        &_run_loop_mutex, abstime);
+    g_mutex_unlock (&_run_loop_mutex);
 
     [pool release];
   }
@@ -154,8 +156,12 @@ exit:
   {
   GST_DEBUG_OBJECT(sink, "The main runloop %s is running",
       is_running ? "" : " not ");
-  sink->main_run_loop_running = is_running;
-  sink->mrl_check_done = TRUE;
+  if (is_running) {
+    sink_class->run_loop_state = GST_OSX_VIDEO_SINK_RUN_LOOP_STATE_RUNNING;
+    sink_class->ns_app_thread = [NSThread mainThread];
+  } else {
+    sink_class->run_loop_state = GST_OSX_VIDEO_SINK_RUN_LOOP_STATE_NOT_RUNNING;
+  }
   }
 }
 
@@ -168,13 +174,26 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_run_cocoa_loop (GstOSXVideoSink * sink )
    * Since the sink needs to create it's own Cocoa window when no
    * external NSView is passed to the sink through the GstVideoOverlay API,
    * we need to run the cocoa mainloop somehow.
+   * This run loop can only be started once, by the first sink needing it
    */
-  if (!sink->main_run_loop_running) {
+
+  g_mutex_lock (&_run_loop_check_mutex);
+
+  if (sink_class->run_loop_state == GST_OSX_VIDEO_SINK_RUN_LOOP_STATE_UNKNOWN) {
+    gst_osx_videosink_check_main_run_loop (sink);
+  }
+
+  if (sink_class->run_loop_state == GST_OSX_VIDEO_SINK_RUN_LOOP_STATE_RUNNING) {
+    g_mutex_unlock (&_run_loop_check_mutex);
+    return;
+  }
+
+  if (sink_class->ns_app_thread == NULL) {
 #ifdef RUN_NS_APP_THREAD
     /* run the main runloop in a separate thread */
 
     /* override [NSThread isMainThread] with our own implementation so that we can
-     * make it believe our dedicated thread is the main thread 
+     * make it believe our dedicated thread is the main thread
      */
     Method origIsMainThread = class_getClassMethod([NSThread class],
         NSSelectorFromString(@"isMainThread"));
@@ -183,30 +202,31 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_run_cocoa_loop (GstOSXVideoSink * sink )
 
     method_exchangeImplementations(origIsMainThread, ourIsMainThread);
 
-    sink->ns_app_thread = [[NSThread alloc]
+    sink_class->ns_app_thread = [[NSThread alloc]
         initWithTarget:sink->osxvideosinkobject
         selector:@selector(nsAppThread) object:nil];
-    [sink->ns_app_thread start];
+    [sink_class->ns_app_thread start];
 
-    g_mutex_lock (&sink->loop_thread_lock);
-    while (!sink->app_started)
-      g_cond_wait (&sink->loop_thread_cond, &sink->loop_thread_lock);
-    g_mutex_unlock (&sink->loop_thread_lock);
+    g_mutex_lock (&_run_loop_mutex);
+    g_cond_wait (&_run_loop_cond, &_run_loop_mutex);
+    g_mutex_unlock (&_run_loop_mutex);
 #else
   /* assume that there is a GMainLoop and iterate the main runloop from there
    */
-    sink->cocoa_timeout = g_timeout_add (10,
+    sink_class->cocoa_timeout = g_timeout_add (10,
         (GSourceFunc) run_ns_app_loop, NULL);
 #endif
   }
+
+  g_mutex_unlock (&_run_loop_check_mutex);
 }
 
 static void
 gst_osx_video_sink_stop_cocoa_loop (GstOSXVideoSink * osxvideosink)
 {
 #ifndef RUN_NS_APP_THREAD
-  if (osxvideosink->cocoa_timeout)
-    g_source_remove(osxvideosink->cocoa_timeout);
+  if (sink_class->cocoa_timeout)
+    g_source_remove(sink_klass->cocoa_timeout);
 #endif
 }
 
@@ -250,10 +270,8 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_osxwindow_create (GstOSXVideoSink * osxvideosink, gint width,
 
   GST_INFO_OBJECT (osxvideosink, "'have-ns-view' message sent");
 
-  osxvideosink->ns_app_thread = [NSThread mainThread];
-  gst_osx_videosink_check_main_run_loop (osxvideosink);
   gst_osx_video_sink_run_cocoa_loop (osxvideosink);
-  [osxwindow->gstview setMainThread:osxvideosink->ns_app_thread];
+  [osxwindow->gstview setMainThread:sink_class->ns_app_thread];
 
   /* check if have-ns-view was handled and osxwindow->gstview was added to a
    * superview
@@ -408,7 +426,6 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_change_state (GstElement * element,
     case GST_STATE_CHANGE_PAUSED_TO_READY:
       GST_VIDEO_SINK_WIDTH (osxvideosink) = 0;
       GST_VIDEO_SINK_HEIGHT (osxvideosink) = 0;
-      osxvideosink->app_started = FALSE;
       gst_osx_video_sink_osxwindow_destroy (osxvideosink);
       break;
     case GST_STATE_CHANGE_READY_TO_NULL:
@@ -505,15 +522,6 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_init (GstOSXVideoSink * sink)
   sink->osxwindow = NULL;
   sink->superview = NULL;
   sink->osxvideosinkobject = [[GstOSXVideoSinkObject alloc] initWithSink:sink];
-#ifdef RUN_NS_APP_THREAD
-  g_mutex_init (&sink->loop_thread_lock);
-  g_cond_init (&sink->loop_thread_cond);
-#endif
-  g_mutex_init (&sink->mrl_check_lock);
-  g_cond_init (&sink->mrl_check_cond);
-  sink->mrl_check_done = FALSE;
-  sink->main_run_loop_running = FALSE;
-  sink->app_started = FALSE;
   sink->keep_par = FALSE;
 }
 
@@ -541,9 +549,6 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_finalize (GObject *object)
   if (osxvideosink->osxvideosinkobject)
     [(GstOSXVideoSinkObject*)(osxvideosink->osxvideosinkobject) release];
 
-  g_mutex_clear (&osxvideosink->mrl_check_lock);
-  g_cond_clear (&osxvideosink->mrl_check_cond);
-
   G_OBJECT_CLASS (parent_class)->finalize (object);
 }
 
@@ -558,8 +563,11 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_class_init (GstOSXVideoSinkClass * klass)
   gstelement_class = (GstElementClass *) klass;
   gstbasesink_class = (GstBaseSinkClass *) klass;
 
-
   parent_class = g_type_class_ref (GST_TYPE_VIDEO_SINK);
+  sink_class = klass;
+
+  klass->run_loop_state = GST_OSX_VIDEO_SINK_RUN_LOOP_STATE_UNKNOWN;
+  klass->ns_app_thread = NULL;
 
   gobject_class->set_property = gst_osx_video_sink_set_property;
   gobject_class->get_property = gst_osx_video_sink_get_property;
@@ -675,7 +683,6 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_set_window_handle (GstVideoOverlay * overlay, guintptr handle
           @selector(removeFromSuperview:), (id)nil, YES);
     }
     [osxvideosink->superview release];
-
   }
 
   GST_INFO_OBJECT (osxvideosink, "set xwindow id 0x%lx", window_id);
@@ -903,7 +910,6 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_get_type (void)
         [osxwindow->win release];
       }
     }
-
     g_free (osxwindow);
   }
   [pool release];
@@ -913,7 +919,6 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_get_type (void)
 -(void) nsAppThread
 {
   NSAutoreleasePool *pool;
-  GstOSXVideoSink *sink = osxvideosink;
 
   /* set the main runloop as the runloop for the current thread. This has the
    * effect that calling NSApp nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue
@@ -931,10 +936,9 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_get_type (void)
   [NSApplication sharedApplication];
   [NSApp finishLaunching];
 
-  g_mutex_lock (&sink->loop_thread_lock);
-  sink->app_started = TRUE;
-  g_cond_signal (&sink->loop_thread_cond);
-  g_mutex_unlock (&sink->loop_thread_lock);
+  g_mutex_lock (&_run_loop_mutex);
+  g_cond_signal (&_run_loop_cond);
+  g_mutex_unlock (&_run_loop_mutex);
 
   /* run the loop */
   run_ns_app_loop ();
@@ -945,9 +949,9 @@ gst_osx_video_sink_get_type (void)
 
 -(void) checkMainRunLoop
 {
-  g_mutex_lock (&osxvideosink->mrl_check_lock);
-  g_cond_signal (&osxvideosink->mrl_check_cond);
-  g_mutex_unlock (&osxvideosink->mrl_check_lock);
+  g_mutex_lock (&_run_loop_mutex);
+  g_cond_signal (&_run_loop_cond);
+  g_mutex_unlock (&_run_loop_mutex);
 }
 
 @end