Patent ID: RE42962

Claim:
A method of recording data on an optical disk having a diameter less than 140 mm, a thickness of 1.2 mm±0.1 mm and a recording area divided into a lead-in area, a program area and a lead-out area, said method comprising the steps of: providing user information for recording in a plurality of sectors in user tracks; providing table of contents (TOC) information for recording in a plurality of sectors in at least one TOC track, said TOC information including addresses of respective start sectors, each identifying a start sector of a respective user track; encoding both said user information and said TOC information in a long distance error correction code having at least eight parity symbols; modulating the encoded user and TOC information; recording the modulated, encoded TOC information as embossed pits in said at least one TOC track in said lead-in area; and recording the modulated, encoded user information as embossed pits in said user tracks in said program area with a track pitch in the range between 0.646 μm and 1.05 μm.