Patent attributes
An optical disc apparatus for recording information on a rewritable optical disc having a power calibration area (PCA) moves an optical pickup for optimum recording power calibration (OPC) from an innermost end to outward of the PCA, and stores an address where RF signal is first detected. If the stored address coincides with an address at the innermost end of the PCA, or if a usable area between the two addresses is smaller than to enable one-time OPC, the apparatus obtains an optimum recording power by overwriting on a used area at or near the innermost end of the PCA, and performs DC erase using the obtained optimum recording power. This enables DC erase and restoration of the PCA back to a usable area even if the PCA has no usable area at its innermost end, and even if it is difficult to detect a usable area in the PCA.
