Unique lighting for a home theater from iSky includes LEDs, a star panel ceiling and sound-handling acoustics.

Fit Jeff Graham in between Thomas Edison and Walt Disney. All are holders of patents but Graham has blended lighting with eye-catching entertainment into a star ceiling, which can ramp up a home theater, add charm to a little girl’s bedroom or even humanize a business conference room.

iSky Panel Systems from Fiberoptic Studio Corp., Winnetka, Ill., has been granted a U.S. patent for its ceiling that combines fiber optics with LED and digital technology to create a star ceiling experience. “It brings together energy-saving LEDs with acoustic properties,” says Graham, the firm’s chief executive officer. “We originally designed the system for home theater situations. Many of those ceilings were just painted black.” Now, homeowners can look up and see the stars. “While star ceilings have been around for some time, early designs had inherent problems in cost and tedious, labor-intensive installation. By taking a completely different approach, iSky provides a more affordable, easy-to-install solution that is actually three products in one — LED lighting, a star panel ceiling and acoustic panels.”

The firm caters to CEDIA and electronic systems contractors. “It is an easy install, an out-of-the-box solution that you can handle with an awl following the mounting points. And we are just seeing the beginning of the use of LEDs,” Graham says.

iSky uses an acoustic panel as a platform for its star ceiling in order to treat the commonly untreated first reflection surface, the ceiling. It handles both sound and light reflection points. Fine acoustical panels absorb sound in order to control and enhance acoustic quality in any environment, but especially home theater setups. There are numerous surface mount and custom sized panels as well as triangle and radius panels. The diffuser/absorber is a hybrid panel that provides absorption for lower frequencies, while reflecting and diffusing the mid- and high-frequencies.

The product is not inexpensive and the company sends do-it-yourselfers and homeowners to professionals. iSky engineered its own technology for creating the best twinkle effect, according to Graham. iSky's ceiling experience is driven by an all-digital, LED illuminator (little larger than a 9 volt battery) that projects light into a fiber optic harness.

Check out the September CEDIA Expo in Indianapolis and look up at the ceiling in the Fiberoptics Studio/iSky booth.