There is one of these going cheap and was wondering if it's a good deal. Laserdisc archive suggest it's one of pioneers premium players but I can never tell if their statements are true to time of release or now. Seems to be NTSC only but that wouldn't bother me as most my discs are NTSC too.

the CLD-1010 was PIONEER's STANDARD LINE TOTL for 1987. it was the first ever CDV compatible LD player, and the direct predecessor to the CLD-3030.

actually, they say the 1010 is the only LD player ever made with a visible red laser emission from it's pickup.
some say it makes for an excellent disc tracker, even with flawed or rotted discs...

It's the only US model solid state red laser player, to be a bit more precise.

If it's in good shape for a good price, get it.

There is one w/remote for sale in nh(craigslist) for $50. It seems to be very clean.

I had a cld-1010 but I have since sold it. So this is my input and opinion. If your going to play any of the newer thin 8" LD you need to use the J-L20 adapter (which I have) that makes the disc thicker.

Other then that my reviews on the 1010 it depends what player you are comparing it too. My rotted CDV I tried the 1010 played it better then my cld-53 and the cld-52 did, but my cld-3030 played it just as good as the 1010 did. The 3030 has a solid floating type disc clamp, which seems to help reduce vibration and tracks discs quite well.

Now the 1010 does a good job cleaning up graininess in a picture. The LD True North "chapter 5" (called kraumanerk momerpok light dances) has dark scenes of the aurora borealis which is good for testing a player. The 1010 makes that scene look great cleans it up really nice, much better then my 1030, the 53 and 52 player. But my 3030 cleans it up that scene up just as good.

On one of my defective 12" discs I was hoping the 1010 would play thought it, but didn't seem make any better difference.

So compared to some of the players, it might be an improvement.

actually that's good to know. with all the crap 1980's LD players have often taken from many of the more vocal LD enthusiasts,
one would naturally assume none of them were worth a pot to p**s in, but i guess that was merely snobbery talking after all.

i mean, i always thought my 3030 looked quite good indeed for a low-res SD Video source,
but with all the "1990's players are the only ones worth owning" bias i always heard over the last decade,
i figured i simply didn't know what i was missing, or just how godawful the performance of my antiquated player actually was...

The red laser really does not make the great difference some think it would. It is just as critical to align the servo's as with the other players but it can be better at avoiding crosstalk once adjusted properly. It can do better for playback for some LDs but I can understand why Pioneer didn't keep up the red laser players as the improvement for the cost is not that much. As a previous person commented his properly adjusted 3030 also works great. It does not have the low noise of the LD-S2 or CLD-97.

In my opinion, if you are happy with a single sided player then $50 for the 1010 is fine. Just make sure it is working properly. Don't expect it to be a miracle player, but it definitely can provide viewing pleasure. The older players are fine, the S2 was designed in the 80's, they are just not as sharp as the 703/704/79/99. My preference is the 97. There are sharper players, players with lower noise, players with decent players in-between. The big factor is if the player is aligned correctly as that improves picture and performance.

I love my picture on my 1010, But be warned this player has absolutely no bells and whistles and is very limited as far as it sound production. Nonetheless the picture is crisp and clear and excellent.

I don't own one, but everything I've ran across regarding the 1010 is that's a pretty solid player, just no fancy features.

This was the last player to use a separate motor for the CD drive. I have one and really like it.