TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : TECH FLASHES

A BETTER CD?: Once upon a time, Mobile Fidelity Labs figured that if it made a better vinyl LP, drawn from master tapes, the world would beat a path to its door (and pay the extra cost for, say, a Beatles LP that sounded extra good). But then came compact discs, which have put MFL’s vinyl product, no matter what its quality, in the shadows. Now MFL claims to have made a better CD as well. Its new Ultradisc is supposed to have “increased life span, no sonic gaps . . . higher engraving and reading capabilities and overall better quality. . . . “ The secret: a polycarbonate coating process bonded with pure gold. No word yet on how much this will add to the already high cost of a CD. And no objective verification of the claims yet, either. But if Mobile Fidelity is on the right track, it might put a dent in the current aluminum compact discs.