Auction firm Stack’s announced Jan. 9 the launch of Stack’s at Home™ Online Auction, a program that allows users to participate in real time online bidding from home.

A small application installed on a home computer provides live video and audio of the auctioneer over the Internet in real time.

The system calculates the next bid amount based on the auction terms. Once the bid button is pressed, the bid is raised to the auctioneer via a clerk at the auctioneer’s table, similar to how a phone bid would be raised.

If a user’s bid is accepted, they will show as the higher bidder with their bid button deactivated so they can’t bid against themselves. If a user is outbid, their bid button is reactivated to allow them to place another bid.

All registered bidders are automatically enrolled in the Stack’s at Home™ program. To participate, sign into the www.stacks.com Web site and select an auction. Click the “Live Video Bidding” link, and it will prompt the application installation.