Optical disk having plurality of volumes, recording device and reproduction device for same

Abstract

An optical disk has a recording surface which is divided in the radial direction of the optical disk into a plurality of volumes. Each volume consists of a lead-in area, a program area and a lead-out area. Each of the volumes has a recording capacity which is not constant and has absolute position information recorded therein. The absolute position information consists of time information starting from a common initial value. The lead-in area, program area and lead-out area of the respective volumes is adapted to have information of the Compact Disc format recorded therein and adapted to have volume number information corresponding to the volume number thereof recorded in a predetermined position of the area. In one aspect of the invention, a part or all of the volumes has a higher recording density than a standard recording density determined by the Compact Disc format and absolute address information continuously increments from an initial value without overlapping among the respective volumes and address information is independent from the absolute address information. In another aspect of the invention, address information and absolute address information recorded in the first volume are within a range determined by the Compact Disc format and address information and absolute address information recorded in the second and subsequent volumes are larger than a value determined by the Compact Disc format.