When setting a recording power for use in recording optical information on
a DVD-R, by using any one of sectors provided on the DVD-R as a PCA,
whether a predetermined special detected signal is detected or not in the
sectors is checked (Step S2), a non-used sector where no special detected
signal is detected, of the sectors, is retrieved, based on the check
result (Step S3), a mark signal for obtaining the special detected signal
is recorded in the retrieved non-used sector (Step S5), a setting signal
for setting a recording power is recorded in the non-used sector
excluding the area where at least the mark signal is recorded (Step S6),
and the recorded setting signal is optically detected to set the
recording power (Step S13).