This guide provides a general overview. The specifics might vary based on your needs, the exact format, and the software or hardware you're using.
Let’s compare the two versions side-by-side.
Most movies are shot on cameras that capture a taller image (usually 4:3 or 1.33:1) but are intended to be cropped to a widescreen aspect ratio like 2.35:1 or 1.85:1 for theatrical release.
Open Matte refers to a version where the full camera negative is shown without cropping the top and bottom. For I, Robot, the Open Matte version reveals more vertical image than the standard BluRay.