Bond DVD restoration expert, John D. Lowry, dies age 79

Founder of Lowry Digital Images, John D. Lowry was an innovative digital media expert.

Lowry worked closely with George Lucas to preserve and remaster the classic "Star Wars" films for DVD.

He began his career in Toronto's television industry during the 1950s before lading a space-age job, designing a system that cleaned up images for NASA.

He fathered the Lowry Process - a revolutionary technique for minimizing "noise" in moving images - and founded Lowry Digital Images in 1998.

In 2004 Lowry oversaw the restoration of canon of James Bond films for release under the "Ultimate Edition" label.

4K scanning was used to crisper the picture and get the best colour quality from the 40+ year old reels.

The digital process that Lowry offered was the best equivalent to a negative of his age.

Lowry died Jan. 21 at his home in Camarillo, said his son David. The cause of death is unknown.

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