Abstract: An optical disk drive and recording power determination method determine the optimum power with consideration for the recording state of a base layer track when determining the optimum power by test recording before recording user data. After recording at a second recording power that is higher than a first recording power by a specific amount, recording is performed at a third recording power that is lower than the first recording power by a specific amount, and the first recording power is set to the recording power for data recording when a specified playback signal quality is achieved.

Abstract: An object is to determine the optimum power with consideration for the recording state of a base layer track when determining the optimum power by test recording before recording user data. After recording at a second recording power higher by a specific amount than a first recording power, recording is done at a third recording power lower by a specific amount than the first recording power, and the first recording power is set to the recording power for data recording when a specified playback signal quality is achieved.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical disc device and a method of determining an optimal laser power for data recording by trial recording before recording actual user data even when there are fingerprints in the test track area for the trial recording. The BER (Byte Error Rate) is detected in each recorded sector. If the BER is less than a particular threshold value, the sector is taken as OK (good). Otherwise the sector is taken as NG (no good). While the peak power level is gradually changed or decreased from the power level at which half or more of the plural reproduced sectors are OK, a boundary peak power at which half or more of the sectors become NG is found. Based on the found boundary power, an amount of the optimal peak power is determined.

Abstract: The invention provides an optical disc device and a method of determining an optimal laser power for data recording by trial recording before recording actually user data even when there are fingerprints in the test track area for the trial recording. The BER (Byte Error Rate) is detected in each recorded sector. If the BER is less than a particular threshold value, the sector is taken as OK (good). Otherwise the sector is taken as NG (no good). While the peak power level is gradually changed or decreased from the power level at which half or more of the plural reproduced sectors are OK, a boundary peak power at which half or more of the sectors become NG is found. Based on the found boundary power, amount of the optimal peak power is determined.