…i use an APC40 MK II to avoid that:
…there is a Resolume-template for this comtroller, but it is also very easy to make one yourself…
That thing looks rad! And yeah I know virtually all computer programs of this sort can use hardware midi controllers. I do have some… It’s also that I’m putting in a machine that outclasses many of the abilities of my hardware. Kinda throws the whole thing askew for me and leads to even more option-itis.
But I don’t want to put too fine a point on it.
A great suggestion though, I have an MPK gathering dust at the moment.
A camcorder could provide some of what you’re looking for, especially thumbnails. And it would fit your hardware approach 
But you started from MIDI controls…a camcorder couldn’t likely trigger clips very quickly, which you may need to do.
We Pixelflowers have a “Resolume & AKAI controller + analog video equipment” setup, but we are two people and each one focuses on a part. In rare cases where I performed alone (so there was no Resolume), I sometimes used mediaplayers or a small laptop to play short playlists of looped video clips, which I was processing with the analog stuff.
What you could easily control via MIDI it’s a mixer like the Edirol V8, to switch to channels where clips are already playing, but again this would provide less than you are looking for.
Hey thanks!
Yeah I have like 6 camcorders, 2 v8s, a v4. They’re on midi. P-10 can trigger video clips fast enough. Probably other things can too. The people here have pointed me in the right direction.