Yes Serif are a large company and have been around a long time … also producing imaging software for the Windows platform … not that I have any dealings with Windows. 
Really though, it’s the ‘buzz’ aspect of extended betas, that I feel has worked for them, as opposed to having a long enough ‘trial’ period. The betas aren’t about trialing the software so much as involvement in its progress and contributing in a useful way. The fact that the software is available as a free download is very important in encouraging this … but also, Serif couldn’t charge for beta software, as it’s not production ready. The real crux, is that when you are ready to hit the button on launch, you already have pent up demand, waiting for the day. Not only that, the beta base are likely to continue aiding with the effort and are not disappointed when bugs are still found to be in the shipping version. Fixing those quickly and releasing in a new build is very convincing. I had one bug that they fixed and managed to get into the next day’s build … so I had a fix within 24hrs. Impressive (if fortunate).
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