Media record/play device and media record/play method

1. A record/reproduce device for performing a record/reproduce operation while performing a replacement process in units of a predetermined recording block by using a rewritable medium having a user data area, a spare area, and a management information storage area which is updated at least at the time of using the spare area, the record/reproduce device comprising:

format process means for performing physical formatting of the medium;

replacement process means for performing the replacement process by using the spare area;

DFL entry search means capable of determining and searching for DFL (Defect List) entry information indicating defect type information for each block stored in the management information storage area; and

NAP decision means for deciding a first block address NAP (next available PSN) to be used next within the spare area,

wherein, in the case where a block in the spare area is determined to be defective in the format process or in the replacement process, the block is determined to be registerable in the DFL as “unusable entry”; and

wherein, in the case where the spare area includes a block of “unusable entry” in the format process of the medium, the NAP decision means decides the NAP in such a way as to avoid a first block address registered as “unusable entry.”

2. The record/reproduce device according to claim 1 , wherein the NAP decision means decides the NAP in such a way as to indicate the first block address which is usable first in a use direction from the first block within the spare area.

3. A record/reproduce device for performing a record/reproduce operation while performing a replacement process in units of a predetermined recording block by using a rewritable medium having a user data area, a spare area, and a management information storage area which is updated at least at the time of using the spare area, the record/reproduce device at least comprising:

format process means for performing physical formatting of the medium;

replacement process means for performing the replacement process by using the spare area;

DFL entry search means capable of determining and searching for DFL entry information indicating defect type information for each block stored in the management information storage area; and

NAP decision means for deciding a first block address NAP to be used next within the spare area,

wherein, in the case where a block in the spare area is determined to be defective in the format process or in the replacement process, the block is determined to be registerable in the DFL as “unusable entry”; and

wherein, in the format process of the medium, in the case where the block of “unusable entry” in the spare area which has been present before the format process of the medium is cleared after the format process, the NAP decision means decides the NAP in such a way as to avoid a first block address of “unusable entry” which has been registered before the format process.

4. The record/reproduce device according to claim 3 , wherein, on the assumption that a block of “unusable entry” which has been registered before the format process is present, the NAP decision means decides the NAP in such a way as to indicate the first block address which is usable first in a use direction from the first block in the spare area.

5. The record/reproduce device according to claim 1 , wherein, in the case of performing a recording process which includes the replacement process by using a medium including the block of “unusable entry” in the spare area, the NAP decision means decides the NAP in such a way as not to indicate the first block address of “unusable entry.”

6. The record/reproduce device according to claim 1 , wherein, in the case of performing a recording process which includes the replacement process by using a medium including the block of “unusable entry” in the spare area, the NAP decision means decides the NAP to be used next in such a way as to indicate only the first block address which is usable in a use direction from the first block in the spare area.

7. The record/reproduce device according to claim 5 , wherein, in the format process of the medium, on the assumption that the block of “unusable entry” in the spare area which has been present before the format process of the medium is cleared after the format process and in the case where M contiguous blocks (M is a natural number) in the spare area in the use direction are registered as “unusable entries,” the replacement process means sets the number of recording retries in the spare area to M or a greater value.

8. A record method of performing a record/reproduce operation while performing a replacement process in units of a predetermined recording block by using a rewritable medium having a user data area, a spare area, and a management information storage area which is updated at least at the time of using the spare area, the record/reproduce method at least wherein:

the management information storage area stores DFL entry information indicating defect type information for each block in the replacement process;

in the case where a block in the spare area is determined to be defective in a physical format process on the medium or in the replacement process, the block is determined to be registerable in the DFL as “unusable entry”; and

on the assumption that NAP is the first block address to be used next within the spare area and in the case where the spare area of the medium includes a block of “unusable entry” in the spare area of the medium in the format process, the NAP is decided in such a way as to avoid a first block address of “unusable entry.”

9. The record method according to claim 8 , wherein the NAP decision method includes deciding the NAP in such a way as to indicate the first block address which is usable first in a use direction from the first block in the spare area.

10. A record method of performing a record operation while performing a replacement process in units of a predetermined recording block by using a rewritable medium having a user data area, a spare area, and a management information storage area which is updated at least at the time of using the spare area, the record method at least wherein:

the management information storage area stores DFL entry information indicating defect type information for each block;

in the case where a block in the spare area is determined to be defective in a format process or in the replacement process, the block is determined to be registerable in the DFL as “unusable entry”; and

on the assumption that NAP is the first block address to be used next within the spare area and in the case where the spare area of the medium does not include a block of “unusable entry” in the spare area of the medium in the format process, the NAP is decided in such a way as to avoid a block which has been a block of “unusable entry” before the initial process.

11. The record method according to claim 10 , wherein, on the assumption that a block of “unusable entry” which has been registered before the format process is present, the NAP decision method includes deciding the NAP in such a way as to indicate the first block address which is usable first in a use direction from the first block in the spare area.

12. The record method according to claim 8 , wherein, in the case of performing a recording process which includes the replacement process by using a medium including the block of “unusable entry” in the spare area, the NAP decision method is used to decide the NAP in such a way as not to indicate the first block address of “unusable entry.”

13. The record method according to claim 8 , wherein, in the case of performing a recording process which includes the replacement process by using a medium including the block of “unusable entry” in the spare area, the NAP decision method is used to decide the NAP to be used next in such a way as to indicate only the first block address which is usable in a use direction from the first block in the spare area.

14. The record method according to claim 10 , wherein, in the format process of the medium, on the assumption that the block of “unusable entry” in the spare area which has been present before the format process of the medium is cleared after the format process and in the case where M contiguous blocks (M is a natural number) in the spare area in the use direction are registered as “unusable entries,” the replacement process sets the number of recording retries in the spare area to M or a greater value.

15. The reproduce method of reproducing medium, on which data is recorded in the record method of claim 8 , according to the DFL.

16. The produce method of reproducing medium, on which data is recorded in the record method of claim 10 , according to the DFL.