Patent ID: 7768885

Claim:
A method for evaluating reproduction durability of an optical recording medium which has a recording layer and from which information is reproduced by irradiation of a laser beam, the method comprising: determining an operating laser power for heating the recording layer to a recording operating temperature; determining a temperature of the recording layer when a laser beam having a predetermined reproducing laser power is radiated during a data reproduction, on the basis of an ambient temperature, the reproducing laser power during the data reproduction, and the operating laser power for heating the recording layer to the recording operating temperature; determining a relationship between the reproducing laser power during the data reproduction and reproduction durability times at the reproducing laser power; determining a relationship between the temperature of the recording layer during the data reproduction and the reproduction durability times, from the relationship between the reproducing laser power during the data reproduction and the reproduction durability times; and determining the reproduction durability times at a desired ambient temperature and a desired reproducing laser power, from the relationship between the temperature of the recording layer and the reproduction durability times at the reproducing laser power.