diff --git a/HISTORY b/HISTORY
index ca415996..99bc745a 100644
--- a/HISTORY
+++ b/HISTORY
@@ -3009,3 +3009,6 @@ Video Disk Recorder Revision History
 - Fixed a possible crash with inconsistent SI data (thanks to Marcel Wiesweg).
 - Fixed showing the replay mode if the OSD is currently in use (thanks to Kimmo
   Tykkala for pointing out this problem).
+- cOsdProvider::NewOsd() now always returns a valid pointer, even if the OSD is
+  currently in use (it will then return a dummy cOsd object and write a message to
+  the log file).
diff --git a/osd.c b/osd.c
index 2877c280..6944e675 100644
--- a/osd.c
+++ b/osd.c
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * See the main source file 'vdr.c' for copyright information and
  * how to reach the author.
  *
- * $Id: osd.c 1.57 2004/07/18 09:23:03 kls Exp $
+ * $Id: osd.c 1.58 2004/10/16 10:31:34 kls Exp $
  */
 
 #include "osd.h"
@@ -716,13 +716,12 @@ cOsdProvider::~cOsdProvider()
 
 cOsd *cOsdProvider::NewOsd(int Left, int Top)
 {
-  if (cOsd::IsOpen()) {
-     esyslog("ERROR: attempt to open OSD while it is already open!");
-     return NULL;
-     }
-  if (osdProvider)
+  if (Level == 0 && cOsd::IsOpen())
+     esyslog("ERROR: attempt to open OSD while it is already open - using dummy OSD!");
+  else if (osdProvider)
      return osdProvider->CreateOsd(Left, Top);
-  esyslog("ERROR: no OSD provider available - using dummy OSD!");
+  else
+     esyslog("ERROR: no OSD provider available - using dummy OSD!");
   return new cOsd(Left, Top); // create a dummy cOsd, so that access won't result in a segfault
 }
 
diff --git a/osd.h b/osd.h
index 172c4757..bd69084f 100644
--- a/osd.h
+++ b/osd.h
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  * See the main source file 'vdr.c' for copyright information and
  * how to reach the author.
  *
- * $Id: osd.h 1.46 2004/06/12 13:14:48 kls Exp $
+ * $Id: osd.h 1.47 2004/10/16 10:33:44 kls Exp $
  */
 
 #ifndef __OSD_H
@@ -330,7 +330,9 @@ public:
   static cOsd *NewOsd(int Left, int Top);
       ///< Returns a pointer to a newly created cOsd object, which will be located
       ///< at the given coordinates. When the cOsd object is no longer needed, the
-      ///< caller must delete it.
+      ///< caller must delete it. If the OSD is already in use, or there is no OSD
+      ///< provider, a dummy OSD is returned so that the caller may always use the
+      ///< returned pointer without having to check it every time it is accessed.
   static void Shutdown(void);
       ///< Shuts down the OSD provider facility by deleting the current OSD provider.
   };