Patent ID: 8000177

Claim:
A reading method for reading and reproducing information from a recording medium that can be read at a plurality of linear velocities by radiating a laser beam onto the recording medium, the reading method comprising: selecting one linear velocity from among the group of plural linear velocities; and changing a light modulation rate according to the selected linear velocity where the light modulation rate (Pp/Pave) is a ratio between the peak power (Pp) and the average read power (Pave) of the light intensity of the emitted laser beam, wherein the selecting step selects a first linear velocity (Lv 1 ) or a second linear velocity (Lv 2 ) that is at least two times greater than the first linear velocity; the light modulation rate for reading at the first linear velocity (Lv 1 ) is a first light modulation rate (Mod 1 ); the light modulation rate for reading at the second linear velocity (Lv 2 ) is a second light modulation rate (Mod 2 ); the second light modulation rate (Mod 2 ) is lower than the first light modulation rate (Mod 1 ), and the first linear velocity (Lv 1 ), the second linear velocity (Lv 2 ), the first light modulation rate (Mod 1 ), and the second light modulation rate (Mod 2 ) are set so that the following equation (1) ( Lv 2 /Lv 1) 1/2 ≧(Mod1/Mod2)≧1 (1) is true.