The native contrast ratio of the SJ8500 could be better. For an IPS TV, this is in the higher ranking, but it is nowhere near what most of VA TVs usually have. With this low native contrast ratio, when set in a dark room, this means that blacks won't be very deep and will look more grayish than really black. As a result of this, dark room performance really takes a hit and dark scene end up looking washed-out rather than really dark.

If set in a bright room, the effect of a low native contrast ratio will be less noticeable and this is some of the reason that IPS TVs are more recommended for room with a lot of light.

When the local dimming is turned on and set to maximum, the contrast ratio goes up a little bit but is still far from what you would get from a good VA TV.