diff --git a/gst/gstelement.c b/gst/gstelement.c
index 9f5cdfed70..95e05367c5 100644
--- a/gst/gstelement.c
+++ b/gst/gstelement.c
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ enum {
   PAD_REMOVED,
   ERROR,
   EOS,
+  DEEP_NOTIFY,
   LAST_SIGNAL
 };
 
@@ -57,6 +58,7 @@ static void			gst_element_set_property	(GObject *object, guint prop_id,
 								 const GValue *value, GParamSpec *pspec);
 static void			gst_element_get_property	(GObject *object, guint prop_id, GValue *value, 
 								 GParamSpec *pspec);
+static void			gst_element_dispatch_properties_changed (GObject * object, guint n_pspecs, GParamSpec **pspecs);
 
 static void 			gst_element_dispose 		(GObject *object);
 
@@ -129,11 +131,21 @@ gst_element_class_init (GstElementClass *klass)
     g_signal_new ("eos", G_TYPE_FROM_CLASS (klass), G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST,
                   G_STRUCT_OFFSET (GstElementClass,eos), NULL, NULL,
                   gst_marshal_VOID__VOID, G_TYPE_NONE, 0);
-
+  gst_element_signals[DEEP_NOTIFY] =
+    g_signal_new ("deep_notify", G_TYPE_FROM_CLASS (klass), 
+		  G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST | G_SIGNAL_NO_RECURSE | G_SIGNAL_DETAILED | G_SIGNAL_NO_HOOKS,
+		  G_STRUCT_OFFSET (GstElementClass, deep_notify), NULL, NULL,
+		  gst_marshal_VOID__OBJECT_PARAM, G_TYPE_NONE,
+		  2, G_TYPE_OBJECT, G_TYPE_PARAM);
 
 
   gobject_class->set_property 		= GST_DEBUG_FUNCPTR (gst_element_set_property);
   gobject_class->get_property 		= GST_DEBUG_FUNCPTR (gst_element_get_property);
+
+  /* see the comments at gst_element_dispatch_properties_changed */
+  gobject_class->dispatch_properties_changed
+    = GST_DEBUG_FUNCPTR (gst_element_dispatch_properties_changed);
+
   gobject_class->dispose 		= GST_DEBUG_FUNCPTR (gst_element_dispose);
 
 #ifndef GST_DISABLE_LOADSAVE
@@ -193,6 +205,38 @@ gst_element_get_property (GObject *object, guint prop_id, GValue *value, GParamS
     (oclass->get_property) (object, prop_id, value, pspec);
 }
 
+/* Changing a GObject property of an element will result in "deep_notify"
+ * signals being emitted by the element itself, as well as in each parent
+ * element. This is so that an application can connect a listener to the
+ * top-level bin to catch property-change notifications for all contained
+ * elements. */
+static void
+gst_element_dispatch_properties_changed (GObject     *object,
+                                         guint        n_pspecs,
+                                         GParamSpec **pspecs)
+{
+  GstObject *gst_object;
+  guint i;
+
+  /* do the standard dispatching */
+  G_OBJECT_CLASS (parent_class)->dispatch_properties_changed (object, n_pspecs, pspecs);
+
+  /* now let the parent dispatch those, too */
+  gst_object = GST_OBJECT (object);
+  while (gst_object)
+  {
+    /* need own category? */
+    for (i = 0; i < n_pspecs; i++) {
+      GST_DEBUG (GST_CAT_EVENT, "deep notification from %s to %s (%s)", GST_OBJECT_NAME (object), 
+		    GST_OBJECT_NAME (gst_object), pspecs[i]->name);
+      g_signal_emit (gst_object, gst_element_signals[DEEP_NOTIFY], g_quark_from_string (pspecs[i]->name), 
+		     (GstObject *) object, pspecs[i]);
+    }
+
+    gst_object = GST_OBJECT_PARENT (gst_object);
+  }
+}
+
 static GstPad*
 gst_element_request_pad (GstElement *element, GstPadTemplate *templ, const gchar* name)
 {
@@ -1331,7 +1375,7 @@ gst_element_set_state (GstElement *element, GstElementState state)
     if (curpending != state) {
       GST_DEBUG_ELEMENT (GST_CAT_STATES, element, 
 	                 "intermediate: setting state from %s to %s",
-			 gst_element_state_get_name (state),
+			 gst_element_state_get_name (GST_STATE (element)),
                          gst_element_state_get_name (curpending));
     }
 
diff --git a/gst/gstelement.h b/gst/gstelement.h
index ae808806df..ed1dc12a4f 100644
--- a/gst/gstelement.h
+++ b/gst/gstelement.h
@@ -160,6 +160,7 @@ struct _GstElementClass {
   void (*pad_removed)		(GstElement *element, GstPad *pad);
   void (*error)			(GstElement *element, GstElement *source, gchar *error);
   void (*eos)			(GstElement *element);
+  void (*deep_notify)		(GstObject *object, GstObject *orig, GParamSpec *pspec);
 
   /* local pointers for get/set */
   void (*set_property) 	(GObject *object, guint prop_id, const GValue *value, GParamSpec *pspec);
diff --git a/gst/gstobject.c b/gst/gstobject.c
index f91e87270a..b8e963e9a2 100644
--- a/gst/gstobject.c
+++ b/gst/gstobject.c
@@ -27,7 +27,6 @@
 /* Object signals and args */
 enum {
   PARENT_SET,
-  DEEP_NOTIFY,
 #ifndef GST_DISABLE_LOADSAVE_REGISTRY
   OBJECT_SAVED,
 #endif
@@ -65,7 +64,6 @@ static void 		gst_object_set_property 	(GObject * object, guint prop_id, const G
 		                                    	 GParamSpec * pspec);
 static void 		gst_object_get_property 	(GObject * object, guint prop_id, GValue * value,
 		                                    	 GParamSpec * pspec);
-static void		gst_object_dispatch_properties_changed (GObject * object, guint n_pspecs, GParamSpec **pspecs);
 
 static void 		gst_object_dispose 		(GObject *object);
 static void 		gst_object_finalize 		(GObject *object);
@@ -110,10 +108,6 @@ gst_object_class_init (GstObjectClass *klass)
   gobject_class->set_property = GST_DEBUG_FUNCPTR (gst_object_set_property);
   gobject_class->get_property = GST_DEBUG_FUNCPTR (gst_object_get_property);
 
-  /* CR1: we override the signal property so that an object can propagate the
-   * signal to the parent object */
-  gobject_class->dispatch_properties_changed = GST_DEBUG_FUNCPTR (gst_object_dispatch_properties_changed);
-
   g_object_class_install_property (G_OBJECT_CLASS (klass), ARG_NAME,
     g_param_spec_string ("name", "Name", "The name of the object",
                          NULL, G_PARAM_READWRITE));
@@ -123,12 +117,6 @@ gst_object_class_init (GstObjectClass *klass)
                   G_STRUCT_OFFSET (GstObjectClass, parent_set), NULL, NULL,
                   g_cclosure_marshal_VOID__OBJECT, G_TYPE_NONE, 1,
                   G_TYPE_OBJECT);
-  gst_object_signals[DEEP_NOTIFY] =
-    g_signal_new ("deep_notify", G_TYPE_FROM_CLASS (klass), 
-		  G_SIGNAL_RUN_FIRST | G_SIGNAL_NO_RECURSE | G_SIGNAL_DETAILED | G_SIGNAL_NO_HOOKS,
-		  G_STRUCT_OFFSET (GstObjectClass, deep_notify), NULL, NULL,
-		  gst_marshal_VOID__OBJECT_PARAM, G_TYPE_NONE,
-		  2, G_TYPE_OBJECT, G_TYPE_PARAM);
 #ifndef GST_DISABLE_LOADSAVE_REGISTRY
   gst_object_signals[OBJECT_SAVED] =
     g_signal_new ("object_saved", G_TYPE_FROM_CLASS (klass), G_SIGNAL_RUN_LAST,
@@ -620,36 +608,6 @@ gst_object_get_property (GObject* object, guint prop_id,
   }
 }
 
-/* CR1: the GObject changing a property emits signals to it's parents
- * so that the app can connect a listener to the top-level bin */
-
-static void
-gst_object_dispatch_properties_changed (GObject     *object,
-				      guint        n_pspecs,
-				      GParamSpec **pspecs)
-{
-  GstObject *gst_object;
-  guint i;
-
-  /* do the standard dispatching */
-  parent_class->dispatch_properties_changed (object, n_pspecs, pspecs);
-
-  /* now let the parent dispatch those, too */
-  gst_object = GST_OBJECT (object);
-  while (gst_object)
-  {
-    /* need own category? */
-    for (i = 0; i < n_pspecs; i++) {
-      GST_DEBUG (GST_CAT_EVENT, "deep notification from %s to %s (%s)", GST_OBJECT_NAME (object), 
-		    GST_OBJECT_NAME (gst_object), pspecs[i]->name);
-      g_signal_emit (gst_object, gst_object_signals[DEEP_NOTIFY], g_quark_from_string (pspecs[i]->name), 
-		     (GstObject *) object, pspecs[i]);
-    }
-
-    gst_object = GST_OBJECT_PARENT (gst_object);
-  }
-}
-
 /**
  * gst_object_get_path_string:
  * @object: GstObject to get the path from
diff --git a/gst/gstobject.h b/gst/gstobject.h
index 9dbf9b8f6a..33c3eb6d0f 100644
--- a/gst/gstobject.h
+++ b/gst/gstobject.h
@@ -99,7 +99,6 @@ struct _GstObjectClass {
 
   /* signals */
   void		(*parent_set)		(GstObject *object, GstObject *parent);
-  void		(*deep_notify)  	(GstObject *object, GstObject *orig, GParamSpec *pspec);
 #ifndef GST_DISABLE_LOADSAVE_REGISTRY
   void		(*object_saved)		(GstObject *object, xmlNodePtr parent);
 #endif
diff --git a/gst/gstregistry.c b/gst/gstregistry.c
index ba9dafc019..5dbd907d71 100644
--- a/gst/gstregistry.c
+++ b/gst/gstregistry.c
@@ -87,6 +87,12 @@ gst_registry_write_get ()
     /* we cannot use the temp dir since the move needs to be on same device */
     gst_reg->tmp_file = g_strdup_printf ("%s.tmp", gst_registry_option);
   }
+  else if (g_getenv ("GST_REGISTRY"))
+  {
+    gst_reg->dir = NULL;
+    gst_reg->file = g_strdup (g_getenv ("GST_REGISTRY"));
+    gst_reg->tmp_file = g_strdup_printf ("%s.tmp", g_getenv ("GST_REGISTRY"));
+  }
   else
   {
     if (gst_registry_use_global ())
@@ -119,6 +125,11 @@ gst_registry_read_get ()
     /* FIXME: maybe parse the dir from file ? */
     gst_reg->local_reg = NULL;
     gst_reg->global_reg = gst_registry_option;
+  } 
+  else if (g_getenv ("GST_REGISTRY"))
+  {
+    gst_reg->local_reg = NULL;
+    gst_reg->global_reg = g_strdup (g_getenv ("GST_REGISTRY"));
   }
   else
   {
diff --git a/gst/parse/grammar.y b/gst/parse/grammar.y
index 3644f368c5..b55b17e8c0 100644
--- a/gst/parse/grammar.y
+++ b/gst/parse/grammar.y
@@ -166,5 +166,12 @@ graph_t * _gst_parse_launch (const gchar *str, GError **error)
 
     g_free (dstr);
 
+    /* if the toplevel only contains one bin, make that bin top-level */
+    if (g->elements == NULL && g->bins && g->bins->next == NULL) {
+        g = (graph_t*)g->bins->data;
+        g_free (g->parent);
+        g->parent = NULL;
+    }
+
     return g;
 }