Video Conversion Should Be Easy

I was given the job to convert a video for someone. The video on the CD they gave me is a .VOB file, also known as a Video Object file. They wished for me to convert it to an MP4, or at least something useable in Final Cut Pro for editing purposes. So I immediately thought this would be easy. My plan was to just put the CD in my computer, and run the files through VLC media player and have them converted. That was my plan, but what actually happen did not work out like that. When I set the conversion up, everything seemed fine. However, when I played the final video it was choppy, frames had been lost, and there was no sound. I tried multiple methods to try and have it work, but to no success. Most people would think this would be easy, but of course for me it never is. So now, my challenge is to find a software tool for Mac, which is free, which allows me to convert .VOB files. Do you have any suggestions? If you know of a good application, please leave a comment below.

~Dave