Method for reproducing holographic information from an optical information recording medium

A method of reproducing information from an optical information recording medium including an information recording layer on which the information has been recorded through the use of holography, wherein the information recording layer in the optical information recording medium has an XY plane, and information bits and sync bits are arranged in the XY plane, the sync bits being in parallel X-direction-extending groups having an X-direction minimum inversion interval of 2 or more, the information bits being between the parallel X-direction-extending groups of the sync bits, the method comprising the steps of applying reproduction-purpose reference light to the XY plane of the information recording layer in the optical information recording medium, and detecting reproduction light caused in the information recording layer by the application of the reproduction-purpose reference light to reproduce the information, the method further comprising:

• a first step of collecting the reproduction light caused in the information recording layer by the application of the reproduction-purpose reference light, and detecting the collected reproduction light to reproduce the information;
• a second step, provided in the first step, of scanning one of the parallel X-direction-extending groups of the sync bits and ones of the information bits neighboring said one of the parallel X-direction-extending groups of the sync bits to reproduce an X-direction sync bit sequence and at least one X-direction information bit sequence;
• a third step of re-sampling the reproduced X-direction sync bit sequence through the use of a digital phase locked loop to obtain corrected X-direction sync bit frequency and phase;
• and
• a fourth step of re-sampling said at least one X-direction information bit sequence in response to the corrected X-direction sync bit frequency and phase.