Patent ID: 8121006

Claim:
A recording/reproducing apparatus with a defect management function that records/reproduces in a predetermined unit of recording blocks using a medium having a user data area, a replacement area, and an area for storing management information updated at least when the replacement area is used, the recording/reproducing apparatus comprising: a verification unit for performing a verification process to reproduce recorded data and determine a reproduction result; a DFL registration determining unit for determining a type of DFL registration based on an outcome determined by the verification unit; a management information storage unit for storing management information including DFL information in the area for storing management information based on an outcome determined by the DFL registration determining unit; and a replacement data recording unit for recording replacement data in the replacement area based on an outcome determined by the DFL registration determining unit, wherein in a defect management process, when a defective area has only one of the recording blocks, the one recording block is registered in a DFL (Defect List) as a RAD (Re-Allocated Defect) type, while when the defective area has consecutive recording blocks, the consecutive recording blocks are registered in the DFL as a CRD (Contiguous Re-allocated Defect) type; when the medium has a plurality of replacement areas and a replacement area A of which the usage direction is the same as that of the user data area and another replacement area B of which the usage direction is different from that of the user data area are mixed, the replacement data recording unit records defective blocks in the user data area to be registered as the CRD type in the replacement area A, but does not record the same in the replacement area B; and in the medium having a defective block registered as the RAD type in the replacement area B, when due to registration of a new defective block, the defective block registered as the RAD type and the new defective block can be re-registered as the CRD type, the replacement data recording unit deletes the defective block registered as the RAD type from the replacement area B and records the defective blocks to be re-registered as the CRD type in the replacement area A.