diff -Nru vdr-1.7.31/config.h vdr-1.7.31-MainMenuHooks-1.0.1/config.h
--- vdr-1.7.31/config.h	2012-10-14 17:58:10.000000000 +0000
+++ vdr-1.7.31-MainMenuHooks-1.0.1/config.h	2012-10-14 17:59:21.000000000 +0000
@@ -36,6 +36,10 @@
 // plugins to work with newer versions of the core VDR as long as no
 // VDR header files have changed.
 
+// The MainMenuHook Patch's version number:
+#define MAINMENUHOOKSVERSION "1.0.1"
+#define MAINMENUHOOKSVERSNUM 10001  // Version * 10000 + Major * 100 + Minor
+
 #define MAXPRIORITY       99
 #define MINPRIORITY       (-MAXPRIORITY)
 #define LIVEPRIORITY      0                  // priority used when selecting a device for live viewing
diff -Nru vdr-1.7.31/menu.c vdr-1.7.31-MainMenuHooks-1.0.1/menu.c
--- vdr-1.7.31/menu.c	2012-10-14 17:58:59.000000000 +0000
+++ vdr-1.7.31-MainMenuHooks-1.0.1/menu.c	2012-10-14 17:59:21.000000000 +0000
@@ -3524,15 +3524,31 @@
 
   // Initial submenus:
 
+  cOsdObject *menu = NULL;
   switch (State) {
-    case osSchedule:   AddSubMenu(new cMenuSchedule); break;
-    case osChannels:   AddSubMenu(new cMenuChannels); break;
-    case osTimers:     AddSubMenu(new cMenuTimers); break;
-    case osRecordings: AddSubMenu(new cMenuRecordings(NULL, 0, true)); break;
-    case osSetup:      AddSubMenu(new cMenuSetup); break;
-    case osCommands:   AddSubMenu(new cMenuCommands(tr("Commands"), &Commands)); break;
+    case osSchedule:
+        if (!cPluginManager::CallFirstService("MainMenuHooksPatch-v1.0::osSchedule", &menu))
+            menu = new cMenuSchedule;
+        break;
+    case osChannels:
+        if (!cPluginManager::CallFirstService("MainMenuHooksPatch-v1.0::osChannels", &menu))
+            menu = new cMenuChannels;
+        break;
+    case osTimers:
+        if (!cPluginManager::CallFirstService("MainMenuHooksPatch-v1.0::osTimers", &menu))
+            menu = new cMenuTimers;
+        break;
+    case osRecordings:
+        if (!cPluginManager::CallFirstService("MainMenuHooksPatch-v1.0::osRecordings", &menu))
+            menu = new cMenuRecordings(NULL, 0, true);
+        break;
+    case osSetup:      menu = new cMenuSetup; break;
+    case osCommands:   menu = new cMenuCommands(tr("Commands"), &Commands); break;
     default: break;
     }
+  if (menu)
+     if (menu->IsMenu())
+        AddSubMenu((cOsdMenu *) menu);
 }
 
 cOsdObject *cMenuMain::PluginOsdObject(void)
@@ -3653,13 +3669,34 @@
   eOSState state = cOsdMenu::ProcessKey(Key);
   HadSubMenu |= HasSubMenu();
 
+  cOsdObject *menu = NULL;
   switch (state) {
-    case osSchedule:   return AddSubMenu(new cMenuSchedule);
-    case osChannels:   return AddSubMenu(new cMenuChannels);
-    case osTimers:     return AddSubMenu(new cMenuTimers);
-    case osRecordings: return AddSubMenu(new cMenuRecordings);
-    case osSetup:      return AddSubMenu(new cMenuSetup);
-    case osCommands:   return AddSubMenu(new cMenuCommands(tr("Commands"), &Commands));
+    case osSchedule:
+        if (!cPluginManager::CallFirstService("MainMenuHooksPatch-v1.0::osSchedule", &menu))
+            menu = new cMenuSchedule;
+        else
+            state = osContinue;
+        break;
+    case osChannels:
+        if (!cPluginManager::CallFirstService("MainMenuHooksPatch-v1.0::osChannels", &menu))
+            menu = new cMenuChannels;
+        else
+            state = osContinue;
+        break;
+    case osTimers:
+        if (!cPluginManager::CallFirstService("MainMenuHooksPatch-v1.0::osTimers", &menu))
+            menu = new cMenuTimers;
+        else
+            state = osContinue;
+        break;
+    case osRecordings:
+        if (!cPluginManager::CallFirstService("MainMenuHooksPatch-v1.0::osRecordings", &menu))
+            menu = new cMenuRecordings;
+        else
+            state = osContinue;
+        break;
+    case osSetup:      menu = new cMenuSetup; break;
+    case osCommands:   menu = new cMenuCommands(tr("Commands"), &Commands); break;
     case osStopRecord: if (Interface->Confirm(tr("Stop recording?"))) {
                           cOsdItem *item = Get(Current());
                           if (item) {
@@ -3717,6 +3754,12 @@
                default:      break;
                }
     }
+  if (menu) {
+     if (menu->IsMenu())
+        return AddSubMenu((cOsdMenu *) menu);
+     pluginOsdObject = menu;
+     return osPlugin;
+  } 
   if (!HasSubMenu() && Update(HadSubMenu))
      Display();
   if (Key != kNone) {
diff -Nru vdr-1.7.31/README.MainMenuHooks vdr-1.7.31-MainMenuHooks-1.0.1/README.MainMenuHooks
--- vdr-1.7.31/README.MainMenuHooks	1970-01-01 00:00:00.000000000 +0000
+++ vdr-1.7.31-MainMenuHooks-1.0.1/README.MainMenuHooks	2012-10-14 17:59:21.000000000 +0000
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+This is a "patch" for the Video Disk Recorder (VDR).
+
+* History
+2010-10-15: Version 1.0.1
+- return a cOsdObject instead of its subclass cOsdMenu (thanks to
+  Joe_D@vdrportal)
+- version number defines in config.h now follow the ususal conventions:
+  MAINMENUHOOKSVERSNUM is now a number, the newly added define
+  MAINMENUHOOKSVERSION is a string (suggested by gnapheus@vdrportal)
+- patch is now based on VDR 1.6.0
+- updated documentation
+
+2007-02-26: Version 1.0
+- Initial revision.
+
+* Authors:
+Tobias Grimm  <vdr at e-tobi dot net>
+Martin Prochnow  <nordlicht at martins-kabuff dot de>
+Frank Schmirler  <vdrdev at schmirler dot de>
+Christian Wieninger  <cwieninger at gmx dot de>
+
+* Description:
+This patch allows plugins to replace the VDR mainmenus "Schedule",
+"Channels", "Timers" and "Recordings" by a different implementation.
+
+The patch is based on a suggestion of Christian Wieninger back in 2006
+(http://www.linuxtv.org/pipermail/vdr/2006-March/008234.html). It is
+meant to be an interim solution for VDR 1.4 until (maybe) VDR 1.5
+introduces an official API for this purpose.
+
+* Installation
+Change into the VDR source directory, then issue
+  patch -p1 < path/to/MainMenuHooks-v1_0_1.patch
+and recompile.
+
+* Notes for plugin authors
+The following code sample shows the required plugin code for replacing
+the original Schedule menu:
+
+bool cMyPlugin::Service(const char *Id, void *Data)
+{
+  cOsdMenu **menu = (cOsdMenu**) Data;
+  if (MySetup.replaceSchedule &&
+            strcmp(Id, "MainMenuHooksPatch-v1.0::osSchedule") == 0) {
+    if (menu)
+      *menu = (cOsdMenu*) MainMenuAction();
+    return true;
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
+Since patch version 1.0.1 the service call may return a cOsdObject
+instead of a cOsdMenu. Use "#ifdef MAINMENUHOOKSVERSION" to detect
+version 1.0.1.
+
+A plugin can replace more than one menu at a time. Simply replace the
+call to MainMenuAction() in the sample above by appropriate code.
+
+Note that a plugin *should* offer a setup option which allows the user
+to enable or disable the replacement. "Disabled" would be a reasonable
+default setting. By testing for define MAINMENUHOOKSVERSNUM, a plugin
+can leave the setup option out at compiletime.
+
+In case there is an internal problem when trying to open the replacement
+menu, it is safe to return true even though Data is NULL. However an
+OSD message should indicate the problem to the user.
+
+Feel free to ship this patch along with your plugin. However if you
+think you need to modify the patch, we'd encourage you to contact the
+authors first or at least use a service id which differs in more than
+just the version number.