Patent ID: 8116181

Claim:
A recording apparatus for recording data on a rewritable optical record carrier, which apparatus comprises: recording means for forming marks on the record carrier during recording operations by irradiating the record carrier with a radiation beam, the marks representing the data; and control means for controlling the recording operations, the control means comprising: optimum power control means for initially determining an optimum write power of the radiation beam prior to a first write cycle in dependence on characteristics of the record carrier; and beam control means for controlling a write power of the radiation beam with reference to the initially determined optimum write power by changing the write power from the initially determined optimum write power to a randomly selected optimal or non-optimal value from a range around the initially determined optimum write power for said subsequent write cycles, each of the write cycles comprising at least one recording operation wherein the beam control means are for changing the write power within the write power range of ±10% around the optimum write power.