Data recording method, data recording apparatus, and recording medium

A recording method for a recording medium comprising:

• identifying the type of a loaded recording medium;
• selecting, on the basis of the result of said identification, a data format for embedding sub data into data recorded on the loaded recording medium so that the data is readable as optical changes;
• discriminating whether a recording area in which recording is to be carried out is a recording area in which said sub data should be embedded;
• and
• if, on the basis of the result of said discrimination, the area in which said recording is to be carried out is a recording area in which said sub data should be embedded, embedding and recording said sub data into data to be recorded in a predetermined area of said recording medium on the basis of said selected data format.

A recording device for a recording medium comprising:

• a head unit for recording data onto a recording medium so that the data is optically readable, the recording medium having a first recording area in which data is to be recorded and a second recording area provided at a position to be read out prior to said first recording area;
• an encoding processing unit for performing recording modulation processing on inputted data and processing to embed sub data into said data on the basis of a data format selected on the basis of the type of said recording medium;
• and
• a control unit for controlling said encoding processing unit and said head unit so as to record data to be recorded in the second recording area with said sub data embedded therein.

A reproducing method for a recording medium comprising:

• detecting an identification part indicating the type of a recording medium provided on a recording medium on which data is recorded so that the data is readable as optical changes and on which data indicating the type and having sub data embedded in at least a part of said data on the basis of a data format corresponding to the type of the recording medium is recorded;
• discriminating the type of said recording medium on the basis of the data indicating said type read out from said recording medium;
• detecting whether the result of the detection of said identification part and the result of said discrimination are coincident with each other;
• and
• if the results are coincident, extracting and decoding said sub data from the data read out from said recording medium.